Dare Me Again (7 page)

Christmas morning

Kat woke to the luxurious feel of her husband’s long hard body pressed intimately to hers. Actually, she was sprawled across him like a lazy feline. His deep, even breaths told her he was still asleep. After the day and night from hell, he deserved it. She’d slept like a corpse.

Last night, once Simon had convinced her without giving much detail that Evan would no longer pose a problem to either of them, she managed to settle down. He carried her back into the cabin, drew her a hot bubble bath in the bathroom downstairs, undressed her, kissed her, and settled her down into the velvety warmth.

When she moved aside, inviting him to join her, he leaned over her, pressed a kiss to the swell of her bosom, and softly but firmly said, “You wrecked my cabin. I have to fix it. Enjoy your bath.”

And she did. She enjoyed her bath as she listened to the sounds of him reinforcing the doors and window. She must have been half asleep by the time he finished, because the last thing she remembered was being lifted from the tub and tucked nice and dry into this big, comfortable bed.

Exhaling a long sigh, she rubbed her fingertips through the smattering of dark hair on his chest and listened to the crackle of the fire in the fireplace. Morning sunlight filtered through the snow-covered skylight.

The steady heartbeat beneath her cheek lulled her back to her cozy thoughts. She could stay like this forever. From the moment she’d bumped into Captain West, she had begun to change. He called her Cinderella because she’d kept leaving a shoe behind, but she was Cinderella in the classic fairy-tale sense. Meeting him had been life-changing. Gone was the self-conscious, insecure lab rat. In her place was a well-loved, confident doctor who didn’t take crap from anyone.

Sighing as she pressed her lips to his pectoral, she couldn’t hold back a smile. Ah, Simon. Now he was her big bad wolf.

A strong arm slid around her waist, and the fingers attached to it traced languidly along her rib cage to the swell of her breast. Liquid fire blasted through her veins. Kat lifted up and smiled at her sleepy husband. “Merry Christmas, Simon.” As she pressed her lips to his, his arm tightened around her waist. Sliding her fingers into his thick hair, she moved up his chest, kissing him more deeply as her body quickened.

Simon responded in kind, his penis thickening against her hip as his kiss deepened.

Their shared passion was unquenchable. She hoped it would always be that way.

He rolled her over even as he broke the kiss. “Merry Christmas, Princess.” He entwined his fingers with hers and pinned her hands above her head. Her ravenous body trembled under his heated gaze.

Simon made a hungry sound deep in his throat and took a nipple into his mouth, sucking it gently as he flicked it with his tongue.

Her pussy clenched so tightly she caught her breath. This girl was on fire.

Releasing her, he nudged her other nipple with his nose and said, “Have I told you how much I love your tits?”

Smiling, Kat giggled. “Only five times a day.”

He looked up at her and smiled, and her heart swelled with fierce love.

“I would have killed him, Simon,” she said softly. “He was not going to hurt our baby.”

His emerald eyes darkened as his face tightened. Pressing into her, he said roughly, “Do you understand that there is
nothing
I would not do to protect you and our child?”

The intensity of his eyes and the meaning behind his words suddenly registered. Her eyes widened and for a brief moment she panicked. Not because of the implication that he’d had Evan killed, but because of how it could affect their future.

“Simon,” she rasped. “I trust you with my life. And that means I know you would do what you felt you had to do. No questions.” She kissed him. “But what happens if—”

“There are no ifs, Cinderella. We’re living the fairy tale.” He smiled and kissed her nose. “Besides, if anyone tries to make problems, I’ll just turn you loose with my bow again.” He raised his brows. “I had no idea my little kitten had claws. Not to that extent, at least.”

She grinned and dug her nails into his hand. “
Your
bow?”

He nodded. “My bow, my cabin.” Pressing his knee between hers, he parted her thighs and slid hotly into her.

“Oh, God, Simon, that feels so good,” she breathed.

“My woman,” he said in an exaggerated caveman grunt.

Imbedded inside of her, he leaned over her and plucked a small box she hadn’t noticed from the nightstand. Smiling, he plopped it between her breasts. “What is it?” she asked, surprised and suddenly anxious because she had left his Christmas gift at the house thinking she would be back for it.

“Open it and find out.”

Finding it hard to concentrate on the gift when his real gift was buried deep inside of her, Kat opened the small box and gasped. It was a small gold heart set with a beautiful crystal slipper.

“Read the back,” he said, moving hotly.

“Simon,” she gasped, closing her eyes and luxuriating in the feel of him.

“Read it,” he urged.

Opening her eyes slowly, she caught and held his loving gaze before she turned the charm over and read the words engraved there. Tears blurred her vision as she read them out loud. “My heart belongs to you, Cinderella. Love, your Big Bad Wolf.” Below the inscription was another one. “Simon ♥ Kat 2014.”

“Simon,” she said, holding the charm to her heart. “Thank you for rescuing me. Thank you for not giving up on me.” She choked back a sob as happy tears tracked down the sides of her face. “Thank you,” she softly cried, “for loving me and giving me your baby.”

He kissed her, with a longing possession that transcended their profound love for each other. They were two, yet together they were one complete entity.

When he cupped her face in his hands, the shine of tears on his dark lashes made her heart ache. “Thank you for giving me a son,” he rasped, emotion clogging his throat.

Smiling, she laughed through her tears. “We’re two saps.”

Lowering his lips to hers again, he said, “This sap wishes you a very merry Christmas.”

“And this sap wants you to stop talking and
show
her a very merry Christmas.”

Never one to displease his Cinderella, the Big Bad Wolf made merry with her all through the day and into the night…and they had a very Happy New Year!

You can read Simon and Kat’s complete story in THE CHRONICLES of KATRINA!

The Dare

A
s the door closed behind the trio, Katy trembled with excitement. She couldn’t believe she was doing this. Going where she had never gone before. Not even in her wildest fantasies: To bed with two men. One, her lover, Evan; the other a stranger.

Her eyes traveled shyly but appreciatively down the newcomer’s tall athletic body. If she actually went through with this, he wouldn’t be a stranger for long. She inhaled deeply, then exhaled slowly. She could do this. She
wanted
to do this.

“Hey,” Evan whispered against her ear, “I’m here, too, don’t forget that.”

Encouraged by his presence, and his reminder that he had a jealous bone after all, Katy smiled and turned slightly to her left. Gazing into his suddenly concerned eyes, she slid her hand down Evan’s hard belly to his even harder groin and squeezed. Her touch elicited a sharp hiss of breath from him. “This rodeo was your idea, cowboy, now suck it up and make the most of it.”

Evan’s eyes widened at her chastising words. She was always a passenger when it came to sex, but this time—she nipped his bottom lip and turned slyly to her new friend, who stood watching their exchange with something akin to amusement. Now she was the driver.

If she didn’t chicken out.

Admittedly, she would have balked if the stars had not been aligned as they were when Evan challenged her.

There they’d been, at the hotel bar downstairs, when the handsome stranger she’d met earlier that day walked in. He’d caught and held her gaze, and Katy’s body had warmed in response. Of course, Evan had noticed the way she squirmed in her chair, and had later casually commented that the man had not taken his eyes off her all night. She’d noticed too.

She’d smiled inwardly but didn’t tell him they had already met, quite by accident. Literally by accident. She’d stepped out of the elevator with her arms full of notebooks for her seminar and had plowed right into Mr. Smokin’ Hot. When they’d both bent down to pick up the binders, they bumped heads. Rubbing her forehead, she’d looked up into two very intense green eyes.

“I’m sorry, I’m such a klutz,” she’d stuttered.

“A very pretty one,” he said. Her reaction to the heat in his eyes and warmth in his voice was instant. She blushed, pushed her glasses back into place, and proceeded to drop the remainder of the binders onto his large booted feet.

“Here,” he softly exasperated, taking her elbow and guiding her to a standing position. “You stand, and let me pick them up so we’ll both be out of harm’s way.”

She watched him, covertly from beneath her lashes, trying not to feel guilty about how much she admired his moves. He looked like a man’s man. A big, rough and tumble kind of guy who’d like the outdoors. He even smelled like it. Fresh and woodsy. The total opposite of her quiet, intellectual lover, who despite lacking this man’s animal magnetism, had his own brand of charm.

As the handsome stranger stacked the binders in her arms, her eyes dropped to his capable hands and instantly conjured the vision of them on her breasts. When she raised her gaze to his face, he was smiling. A wolfish knowing smile. Heat rose in her cheeks, spreading to her nipples and lower. Katy was no shrinking violet, but this man made her extremely aware of her female parts being in close proximity to his very male parts. When the binders were all stacked, he cocked a brow and asked, “Are you staying at the hotel?”

“Yes,” she’d admitted too quickly.

“Me too.”

She swallowed. “That’s nice.”

“Not really. But what would make it nice is if you would let me buy you a drink later tonight.”

She’d swallowed hard again. “I can’t, I’m with someone.”

His full lips tightened and he nodded. “Lucky man, your someone.” He tipped the brim of an imaginary hat and walked away.

Since that meeting, she’d seemed to bump into him at every turn, including when she and Evan had gone down to grab a drink before dinner. Green Eyes sat across the bar with a bunch of drinking, carousing guys. Who, according to the cocktail waitress, were cops in for some kind of task-force meetings. Although he wasn’t partying with the others, he was drinking, and with each drink, he’d raised it to her in silent salute.

“It’s my turn, Katy,” Evan had said pulling her attention back to him. “And I pick dare.”

Excitement shivered down her spine. “Okay,” she said, slowly exhaling. “I’m feeling rather daring at the moment.”

He grinned and nodded toward the group of cops. “I dare you to pick one of those cops and take him upstairs.” She went from feeling excited to feeling a little sick to her stomach. Not that sex with one of the hunky cops was sickening, but because Evan had suggested she have sex with another man.

Her face must have reflected her dismay because Evan said, “C’mon, Katy, don’t tell me you’re not turned on by the one that keeps staring at you. I should go punch his lights out for his audacity.”

“Then why don’t you?”

He chuckled. “I’m a lover, baby, not a fighter. Besides, if I did, it would be kind of hard to invite him upstairs, wouldn’t it?”

Not a fighter for her anyway. How could he dare her to take another man to bed? Weren’t they a couple? A secret one because of the no-fraternizing rule at work, but if he cared about her at all, how could he be okay with her having sex with another man?

Her pride kicked in. Fine, if she didn’t mean enough to him to remain monogamous, then this little dare would be on her terms.

She glanced over at the group of cops. Yeah, she admitted, and only to herself, that despite her hurt, she was intrigued. They were all good-looking men. Cocky as all hell, and most women would be happy to indulge in one or all of them—but there was only one she would consider. But, was Evan bluffing? Playing a game; a test to find out how much he meant to her by putting her in this position?

“Are you serious?” she asked, sure he was kidding.

“As a heart attack,” he said with conviction. He wasn’t bluffing.

Her belly did a slow roll as she stared at him, waiting for him to take it back—but he didn’t. Raising her chin she made her decision. Pride was the devil’s child, so to hide her hurt, she nonchalantly threw back at him, “Only one? Why not two?” Go big or go home, right?
Please God don’t let him say two
! She couldn’t do that. Wouldn’t. The verdict was still out on picking just one. She knew she was uptight. Inhibited, Evan had said. She needed to loosen up.

Evan’s lips twitched into an arrogant little smirk that she loved. It was playful and loaded with promise. He leaned forward and kissed her neck just behind her ear. The touch elicited a small tremor that instantly infused her already sensitive nipples, then shot straight to her groin. He knew that was her weak spot and used it to his advantage. “Count me in as the second one,” he whispered.