Against the Wall (Stoddard Art School Series Book 3) (13 page)

Smoothing a light gloss over her lips, she fluffed her hair. It had been a long time since she dressed up, and even longer since she’d been so excited to be with a man that she contemplated losing her underwear. She wasn’t sure she could calmly sit through a nice dinner and then the two-hour drive back to Bell Harbor.

When she walked out of the ladies’ room and caught the expression on Bear’s face as he took in the sight of her in her dress and heels, she knew she needed to suggest another alternative.

He took her hand and lifted it over her head leading her into a spin. “I’m…speechless. You look amazing.”

He wore a black jacket over a white oxford shirt and jeans. The effect was dressy casual and he fit it perfectly. “You’re pretty amazing yourself.”

Bear leaned toward her and growled, “I’ll never make it through dinner.”

Kay laughed. “I just had a similar conversation with my reflection in the mirror.” She moved closer. An older couple drinking their coffee and sharing a muffin watched them. “So why don’t we make a slight change of plan.”

Bear sighed. “God, you smell wonderful. I’m listening…talk fast.” His voice had a low sexy rasp she felt in her thighs.

Kay held his gaze. “Take me home.”

“What about dinner?” He was close enough to kiss her.

“Dottie packed us enough food for three days.” Kay ran a gentle thumb over the slight clef in his chin. “We can eat on the way.”

“But candlelight, wine list…crème brûlée.” Bear watched her mouth.

Kay bit her bottom lip. The man could make love to her with just his eyes. “I have candles and wine at my place. No crème brûlée, but I have stale cookies.”

A smooth smile graced his mouth. “I love stale cookies.”

“Then what are we waiting for?”

Just before they reached the Maine turnpike, Kay licked chip dust off the tips of her fingers before leaning over and kissing Bear’s neck. “Damn,” she whispered against his skin. “I forgot something back at the coffee shop.”

Bear checked his side view mirror. “I can turn around.”

She sat back in her seat and crossed her legs. “No, don’t bother.” She flipped her hand and then smoothed the hem of her skirt across her thigh. “I can always buy another pair of panties.”

A mile later, blue lights filled the cab of the truck, and Bear was passing his license and Walter’s registration out the window to the waiting officer.

“Yes, sir, I did know I was speeding.”

“Is this your vehicle?” The Statey shined his light onto the documents in his hands.

“Um…no…I borrowed it from a friend, Walter Polk. I had some antiques to pick up in Portland. I can lift off the tarp—”

“Do you know how fast you were going, sir?”

Bear snuck a look at her. Kay pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. “Not fast enough,” he murmured. To the officer he tried to joke. “I didn’t expect this heap would ever go over seventy-five.”

The officer wasn’t amused. “I clocked you at eighty-six.” He shined his official flashlight on her. Kay leaned toward the driver’s side and smiled. “Good evening, officer.”

“Can I see some ID, ma’am?”

Kay pulled out her license and leaned over Bear to pass it to the officer. “I’m Kay Winston. Walter Polk is my uncle. I can call him for you. He can vouch for everything.”

He examined her identification and handed it back. “Won’t be necessary. Stay in the vehicle. I’ll be right back.”

“Don’t you dare laugh,” Bear muttered as soon as the officer was out of earshot.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Kay stowed her license, settled back into her seat, and crossed her legs.

Bear watched her every move with a look of pure lust on his face. “This is all your fault.”

Kay raised a hand in surrender. “I take full responsibility. If I hadn’t accidently left my panties—”

“You like playing with fire, don’t you?” he growled.

Blue lights strobed, and the blinding spotlight made it look like they were on stage. Kay gave him a coy smile. “Only with you.”

He shifted slightly in his seat, shook his head, and smiled back. “If I get a ticket, I’m docking your pay.”

Kay took her finger and ran it slowly along the square edge of her low neckline. Bear’s eyes followed its path. “You won’t get a ticket. Did you see where his flashlight was pointed?”

****

The door hit the wall as they pushed blindly into the kitchen. Bear pinned her against the wall, and gave her a kiss that melted her high heels. “Nice place. Cozy,” he murmured against her neck.

Kay could only gasp, trying to catch her breath. “Y-you want the tour?”

“No.” His kisses moved along her collarbone.

“But I have mattresses. Two,” she offered as he slipped her dress off her shoulder and kissed her there.

Bear lifted his head. “Show off.”

“One is much too small.” She rushed. His hand teasing the hem of her dress was making it hard for her to think.

“Is the other
just right
, Goldilocks?” His eyes held hers.

She could only blink. “That’s up to you, Papa Bear.”

Bear slipped her hair behind her ear before kissing it and rasping, “I’m nobody’s papa.”

Kay’s knees liquefied. “Good to know. Wasn’t his…bed…too hard?”

“Mmhmmmm.” He agreed against her neck. “Too hard.”

“Some things are better hard.”

“Some things are much better soft.” He palmed her breast. “Are you going to show me this perfect mattress, or am I going to be forced to test the strength of your kitchen table?”

“I thought you promised Officer Dan you would take it slow.”

“Oh, I plan to. Just as soon as I get you out of this dress.” His hand moved to the zipper on the back.

“W-we should shut the door first.”

“If we have to.” He let go of her and stepped back, stripping out of his jacket. He tossed it over the back of one of the chairs.

Kay slipped past him, and closed the door. She turned on a small lamp all the while feeling his eyes on her. Feeling his desire wrap around her. The air in the room pulsed with it.

“I promised you wine.” She ran a hand over the wild mess of her hair.

“And stale cookies.” He worked on unbuttoning his shirt, and pulled its tails from his jeans.

“I lied about the cookies. It was just a ploy to get you back to my place. I have Triscuits.”

He moved closer and slipped his arms around her waist, drawing her close. “So you planned to seduce me all along?”

Everywhere he touched her tingled with a delicious shimmer. “Just since the lighthouse.” She flashed him a smile.

“The wine and crackers can wait.” He found the tab of her zipper and lowered it slowly.

Kay stroked the slight patch of dark hair in the center of his chest. “Are you sure you’re not too tired? It was a long drive.”

“The next time you decide to seduce me, could you make it closer to home?”

She gasped as the zipper of her dress hit bottom and his warm hand slipped around her bare back. “You insisted on making all those stops.”

He rested his lips against her temple. “Two stops. Cops and condoms. Crucial on both counts.”

“You’re very responsible.” She released the metal button of his jeans.

“USC.” His breathing sounded labored.

“USC?” She couldn’t think. His fingers played across her back.

In one deft move, he found the back clasp of her bra and unhooked it. “Trojans.” He growled a second before his mouth claimed hers. Kay clung to the fabric of his shirt and melted into the kiss. Bear pulled her tight against the hard ridge of his erection still trapped inside his jeans. He broke the kiss resting his forehead against hers. “You said something about a mattress, Goldilocks.”

Taking his hand, Kay led him to the narrow stairs leading to her bedroom. On the first step she stopped, turned, and wrapped her arms around his neck. The shift in height was perfect. Their mouths met on an equal plane.

Bear wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her off her feet. He didn’t stop until the top.

Chapter Fifteen

“Left or right?” he breathed.

“My right, or your right?” Kay gasped between kisses. She pointed, barely able tell up from down.

Three steps into the room, Bear lowered her, easing her down his body like water over a rock. “I lied.” He rested his forehead against hers. She could feel his heart hammering against his chest.

Kay’s breath caught. “Oh?”

A thread of chilled concern flitted down her spine until he cupped her cheek with his hand and raised her chin up to kiss her. “To hell with Officer Dan. I can’t promise slow. Not the first time, anyway.” He nipped at her lower lip with his teeth. “God, I want you.”

“Oh…”

“I can’t see your face. Is that a good
oh
, or a bad
oh
?”

Kay stepped away and lit the two fat candles she kept on the corner of her dresser. The scent of warm vanilla rose to greet her. She lit another on the nightstand next to the bed. Soft light flickered. Standing there in the soft glow, she finished what Bear had started down in the kitchen. A shrug of one shoulder and a slip over her hips, and her little black dress dropped to her shoes. Kicking it aside, she stood in nothing but her heels.

“Oh.” Bear sounded like he’d been punched. His eyes made a slow scan from top to bottom and back again.

The only sound was the ocean stroking the shore and the blood rushing in her ears. “For someone who was in such a hurry, you’re not moving.”

“I’m trying to remember how to breathe.”

She was having no trouble breathing. With her heart trying to beat its way out of her chest, her lungs were working double time. “You have done this before, right?” She tried to joke.

He flashed a quick smile. “Not with you.” His gaze held her. “You’re gorgeous.” Bear closed the distance between them. Kay ran her hands up the solid muscles of his chest and slid his shirt off his shoulders before he pulled her into his arms and lowered her onto the bed.

Kay leaned back on her elbows as Bear lifted her leg. He plucked the satin pump from her foot and tossed it aside. He nipped the top of her knee as he removed her other shoe. The sensation shot straight to her sex and made her gasp.

Bear gave her a wicked grin and was quick to remove the rest of his clothes and sheath himself with his Trojan pride condom. He lowered himself between her legs pushing her back into the mattress.

Kay looked up into his hooded eyes. “I see you’ve remembered how to breathe.”

Balancing on one arm, he trailed a finger down her throat to circle the tip of one breast. “Are you always so damn sassy?”

“Always.” She ran a hand up his supporting arm relishing the feel and contour of muscle. The man was satin over granite.

“Good. I like sass,” he rasped before crushing his mouth to her, ending any need for a witty comeback.

Kay arched into the warmth of his hand holding her breast as his tongue slipped between her parted lips. She raised one knee, running her thigh up the line of his hip while he swept his hand over the dip of her waist to play at the curve of her ass. He lifted her to him. Pressed the heat of her tight to the hard length of his erection.

Bear tore his lips from hers, moving his kisses to her jaw, sucking the lobe of her ear into his mouth, and ran the tip of his tongue slowly along the rim before nipping his way down the side of her neck.

Kay was aflame. The blaze that started on the ride home burned white hot. When his hand moved between her thighs, she whimpered and ducked her head so she could kiss him again.

“You’re so wet.” His fingers swirled over her swollen flesh as he growled against her mouth. “I can’t wait, Kay.”

She clutched at his back, at his hip, dropping her knee to one side. Opening for him. Urging him on to end her sweet torment. “Please. Now,” she moaned.

In a single thrust, he buried himself deep within her. Kay cried out as her body stretched to receive him. Lights burst behind her eyelids. He engulfed her. Surrounded her. Filled her. Hard, fast thrusts rocked her. She kept pace with him to start with, but soon his rhythm raced ahead of hers. The pressure of her climax built too quickly. Wrapping her legs around Bear’s waist, she hung on. His body pounded into hers. Sweat made their skin slick.

“Ah!” Her body tensed with the initial wave of her orgasm. “Bear!” All of a sudden, it was as if he’d run her to the top of a mountain and tossed her off a cliff. The muscles within her clenched and squeezed. She pressed up hard against the continuing power of him. A soaking heat filled her as she struggled to catch her breath.

Bear drove faster until with a final plunge he ground out her name. His tensed body welded into hers. His hand gripped roughly at her hip, as he pumped into her as deep as he was able. “Kay, my God—”

His panting mouth found hers. Gasping, he kissed her mouth, her cheeks, her forehead, her closed eyes. He’d dropped down onto one elbow. His body a delicious weight on her. In her. His other hand continued its caress of her from waist to hip.

“You
have
done this before,” Kay gasped.

“I didn’t mean…I should have… You were just so sexy standing there. The way your hair… The shoes… Dammit, did I hurt you?” He cupped her face, brushing her cheek with his thumb. “I’m sorry.”

“Stop. You didn’t hurt me. You were—”

“Out of my mind.” He gazed down at her. “I wanted our first time to be amazing, not some mindless f—”

Kay silenced him with a kiss. “It was amazing.” She murmured against his lips, pushing her fingers into his hair. “You were…amazing.”

He nipped at her lower lip. “I can do better.”

****

Kay slipped from her bed and extinguished the last flickering of the candles. Bear was asleep. Somehow they ended up in a tangle of sheets, sideways in the bed. She covered him with the quilt that had fallen off the end and wrapped her robe around her.

Bear’s
better
had been two hours of the most incredible sex she’d ever had. Was there a
Guinness Book of World Records
for the number of orgasms experienced in one night? She may just be a record holder and not know it. The way he touched her, stroked her. After the power of the first time, the gentleness of him made her weep. He found places on her body—pulse points—where a kiss, or a touch, the sweep of his tongue made her quiver and gasp with breathless rushes of pure pleasure.