Chapter 13
When he grinned,it cracked open a portal. Affection spilled out, warming him all the way down to the soles of his feet. He lay back down. “But that’s not nearly as much fun, right?”
“Not nearly.” The mattress bounced as she leaped onto it. Straddling his knees, she squirted a line of cream up his inner thigh. And then, with a seductive smile, this sexy, joyful woman slowly licked it off.
He’d never felt anything like this happiness, this…contentedness. Because it wasn’t just the physical stimulation. It was how very much he liked her. He wanted more of her.
More talking. More laughs. More sex.
As she licked her way up his thigh, she stayed seated on his knees, so by the time she got to his dick, she looked like a cat stretching, ass in the air. When she squirted the cold whipped cream over his cock, it went ramrod hard. After tossing the can onto the mattress, she grasped him at the base and went to town on him.
The pleasure of her touch combined with his affection for her combusted into an inferno of need and yearning. He wanted to knock her back and fuck her till they both came so hard they blacked out. He wanted to flip her over—just like she’d talked about—and take her from behind.
He’d smack her ass cheek just to see it wobble and hear her cry out. He wanted to feel her excitement gush all over his cock.
After licking him clean, she sucked him deep into her mouth. Hot lust streamed through him, and a sheen of sweat covered his skin. If he didn’t bust a nut soon, he’d lose his mind. “Ride me.”
The way this woman scrambled to comply turned him feral. Keeping her gaze locked with his, she sat up and pulled off her leggings and T-shirt, unclasped her bra, and tossed them all aside.
When she climbed back on him, he reached for those gorgeous tits, loving the way her hard pink nipples poked through his fingers.
She arched into his touch. “Hand me that condom. Quick, so you can get out there and shovel.”
He laughed and grabbed it. “You’ve got my number, don’t you?” She knew just how to break the tension and kick him out of his own head. And maybe that was why she’d broken down his barriers. Because she’d identified them.
After he tossed it to her, he clasped his fingers behind his head and pretended to be unaffected as she tore it open with her teeth.
“I think I do.” She stretched it over him. “But that’s only because I’m the same way.” Once it was securely on, she sank down on him, enveloping his cock in her slick heat. Her hands landed on his chest, and she rocked slowly.
He stopped pretending and reached for her, needing to get his hands on her ass and work him harder.
But she ignored him, sitting up and wriggling her bottom. “You’re so big, I feel you everywhere.” She let out a blissful sigh. “It’s so good.” She kept riding him at her own pace, like she was savoring every drag and slide. “Look at you.” She ran her hands across his shoulders and down to his biceps and then squeezed. “You’re so hot.” She caressed his chest, her fingers sifting through his hair. “My God.”
Jesus, this view—with her dark hair all tousled, her tits bouncing, and the flare of her feminine hips—it sent a roar of desire crashing through him.
He couldn’t take it anymore. Cupping her ass cheeks, he took over, moving her up and down his cock, thrusting up hard when he brought her down on him. “Fuck, yeah.” Every time their bodies connected, she’d let out a sexy little, “Oh.”
He’d never known it could be this good.
Her head tipped back, and she reached behind to set her hands on his thighs. Eyes closed, she rode him with abandon. His cock glistened as it slid in and out of her tight pussy.
Needing more, he jackknifed up, reaching for her breasts, and sucking a nipple into his mouth. She wrapped her arms around his neck and bounced on him, so wild and reckless, she lost her rhythm.
He needed to get her there, so he tilted her hips until she gasped, letting him know he’d found just the right angle to rub her clit against the base of his cock. Crying out in utter abandon, she clutched fistfuls of his hair and writhed all over him.
Holding back was going to kill him, but he waited until she collapsed against him before flipping her onto her back and letting loose. One hand under her ass, the other braced next to her head, he powered into her.
His orgasm hit fast. It roared up from his core and exploded out of him. Cataclysmic. Gritting his teeth, he kept up his pace. Her fingernails dug into his shoulder blades, and she ground hard against him. He kept coming, one burst after another, his skin so hot he was on fire.
When he could finally catch his breath, he collapsed on top of her. They clung to each other. Their bodies slick, electrified, they panted in each other’s ears. And then, she shifted under him, reminding him of his weight.
As he settled beside her, she unconsciously molded herself to him, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
His heart stuttered.
He didn’t do the cuddly shit.
He fucked.
And then, he left.
He might engage in chitchat as he got cleaned up and dressed.
But he didn’t snuggle.
A simple nudge usually did the trick. They got the message.
But there wasn’t a single part of his body that could move.
Aftershocks pulsed through him. How many times had he come today? It had taken everything out of him.
Yeah, so, that’s why he couldn’t budge. He was exhausted.
It wasn’t because her hair smelled good. Felt nice, too, as it teased his chest like feathers. It wasn’t the press of her breasts or the memory of her cries. That look of ecstasy taking hold of her features.
It wasn’t any of that.
“I know.” She sighed. “No snuggling.” She rolled off him and got out of bed. “Be right back.”
The moment she left him, the cold air swooped in. Her absence left him with an acute sense of loneliness. Which made no sense. None.
Fuck it. He got up and joined her in the bathroom. Tossing the condom in the trash, he got a washcloth from the towel rack and saturated it with warm water. Standing behind her, his body so much larger than hers, he set his chin on her shoulder and gently rubbed between her legs.
Her eyes went soft, and she leaned back against him, wrapping one arm around his neck. Silently, they watched each other in the mirror. Emotions tumbled through him—a painful longing, a near-paralyzing fear, confusion…and an alarming flutter of hope.
Why did it have to end?
Why couldn’t they see what happened between them? He could go into town, take care of business, and then come back. Spend Christmas Day with her.
What if…?
When hope swelled so big it displaced fear, he brushed the hair off her shoulders and whispered, “Damn, Hellcat. You snatched my soul right out of my body.”
She turned within his arms and got up on her toes, giving him a sweet, intense kiss. When she pulled away, she sighed. “You’re a complicated man.”
But I don’t want to be.
It’s easy with you.
And he had a feeling the more time he spent with her, the less complicated it would feel.
But then, she patted his ass. “I need a nap now.” And she led him back to the bed.
As they slid back under the covers, he turned on his phone and plugged it in.
“That’s a good idea.” She reached for hers. “That way, we’ll know when the Wi-Fi comes back.”
“If it does, our phones are going to be pinging like crazy. You might want to turn off the sound.”
“I sleep like the dead.” She settled under the covers. On her side, one hand laying on the pillow, she smiled. “I won’t notice a thing.”
Staring into those beautiful blue eyes, her kindness radiating out and heating him like sunshine, he thought his heart would surely explode.
But as they lay side by side, tension crept in. He knew she wanted to touch him. Maybe rest her head on his chest. It’s just not my thing. He couldn’t sleep like that.
And so, he turned his back to her and punched his pillow up.
He didn’t want to be a dick. But he needed a quick nap.
Bullshit. At the very least, don’t lie to yourself.
He couldn’t sleep. Not while his mind was racing.
Because he could see a future with this woman.
And that scared the shit out of him.
Pinging sounds woke him. Dozens of them.
My phone.
Someone’s got an emergency. He needed to wake up, but he couldn’t open his eyes. He was nestled too deeply into an odd sensation of complete relaxation. And he wanted to savor it more than he wanted to help whichever client had gotten himself into trouble.
But each ping brought him closer to consciousness.
Come on. Wake up.
Answer the phone.
When he did, he realized he had his arm slung around a woman’s soft body, his face burrowed in her hair. They shared a pillow.
What the fuck?It startled him fully awake.
I’m snuggling.
He’d know her scent and the shape of her body anywhere.
Hellcat.
He was practically on top of her, their legs entwined.
How did this happen?
Worse, his body wasn’t in sync with his mind, because it wouldn’t budge even when he commanded it to get the hell off her.
But then, he remembered. The hope he’d felt before falling asleep.
That maybe they could make it work.
And he wouldn’t have to walk away from the sex, the laughter, this sizzling connection he’d never had with anyone else.
One more ping had him gently extracting himself and reaching for his phone. He needed to find out if Marcus had fired him.
He scrolled through the messages.
Marcus: Update on Ginty.
Mom: Merry Christmas, sweetie! It’s not the same without you. I really wish you’d come with us.
George: Hey, where did you go?
George: You make a decision?
He didn’t feel like responding to anyone. He was still in the cocoon, and he didn’t want to crawl out yet. Reality would drag him back soon enough.
For now, he’d block out the world. Go back to his hellcat.
When she woke up, he’d talk to her. Suggest they continue to see each other. With the way they got along, he was pretty damn sure she’d agree.
Just as he set his phone back on the nightstand, two incoming messages flashed across her screen.
Beau: Hey, sweetheart. Thinking about you.
Beau: Come home for Christmas?
Reality hit like a punch to the stomach, knocking him right out of the cocoon.
She’s not finished with her ex. Not at all.
I’m such a dumbass.
Why did he always do this? Get swept away in relationships that weren’t real? He’d known all along she was hiding out here. That she had a complicated life.
She’s beenbetrayed. She’s not ready for a relationship.
Neither am I. The moment his feet hit the ground, he’d be on the run. Catching up on clients, negotiating deals, and fixing the situation with Ginty.
He grabbed his phone, focused on the only thing in life he could control: his career.
And you know something? If I go to LA, it’ll be more of the same.
He didn’t know the culture of that agency. It could be worse than Elite.
No, he knew what he had to do. The only path that was right for him.
He tapped on George’s name.
Booker: Yes. I’m in.
George: Let’s go!
That familiar sense of purpose charged through him. He needed to make a game plan.
First up: talk to the other partners. Make sure their mission statement hadn’t diverted from what they’d talked about in law school.
Next: See if Ginty would come with him to a boutique agency.
And finally: quit.
Quietly, he got out of bed, picked his clothes up off the floor, grabbed his travel bag from the bathroom, and got dressed in the living room. His duffel remained on the floor where he’d left it the night before. He sat on the couch to shove his feet into wool socks and then his boots.
He contemplated his departure. Do I wake her up?
The image of her blue eyes blinking open, her smile when she saw him, nearly had him tearing off his clothes and running back to bed.
But no. That wasn’t the right answer for either of them. And it was time to stop pretending.
He had to leave a note, though. Condoms weren’t a hundred percent reliable, and he wasn’t about to bail on her if the unexpected happened. In the kitchen, he found a pen and paper and wrote her a note.
Hellcat,
I’ve got to get to work. I won’t be back here for a while, so feel free to stay. If you need me for anything, here’s my number.
He thought about the way she’d grated the cheese with such concentration. The way she’d laughed so hard she could hardly breathe during their snowball fight. And the way she’d ridden him with total abandon.
Her courageous spirit demanded he say something true.
Best Christmas ever.
Take care,
Booker
Where should I leave it?
They hadn’t cleaned the kitchen, the dining room table was littered with baskets and paper scraps, and the coffee table was covered with fishing line. He needed to put it where she’d see it.
He didn’t have tape, so he left it on the kitchen counter.
And then, he let himself out the back door, fired up the snowmobile, and headed for town.
And if he felt the invisible thread to her stretching and tightening…
Well, he reminded himself, it had all been a mirage.