Authors: Savannah Stuart
restaurant in town, then proceeded to harass their server the entire meal. It had been so
embarrassing. Not that she worried Scott would be rude to anyone, but this was
refreshing. “Here, I’ll help.” She reached out for one of the bags, but he sidestepped her.
He chuckled. “I got it,” he said and headed toward her kitchen.
She shut and locked the door before sliding her boots off. If they were going to have
an evening in, her feet weren’t going to suffer needlessly. Her heart skipped a beat
when she entered the kitchen and found him with his back to her, emptying one of the
paper bags. He looked so at ease and
so right
in her kitchen, it scared her a little.
For so long she’d dated what she considered cookie-cutter men—similar education
and background to her own and usually know-it-alls when it came to politics or
religion—it was so refreshing to be with a man like Scott. He spoke when something
needed to be said, he didn’t talk about how great he was and from the sneak preview
she’d gotten last night he was a giving lover. There was nothing soft about him either.
His dark sweater stretched across his broad shoulders, showcasing muscles she’d like to
run her fingers over. Well, her fingers and her mouth. She’d been fantasizing about it
for the better part of the year.
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Tempting Alibi
She covered the distance between them and leaned against the counter so that she
faced him. “What are you making?”
He pulled out a bag of fresh, uncooked shrimp. “Shrimp Alfredo over pasta. You’re
not a vegetarian, are you?”
She grinned and shook her head. She loved seafood and steak too much. “No. Do
you want me to make the salad?”
“Sure.”
It was obvious he was comfortable in his own skin, but something told her his
unease came from her. And that surprised her. She was cute in the girl-next-door kind
of way, but she wasn’t stunning or model gorgeous. The knowledge that she made him
nervous was a bigger turn-on than she could have imagined. But she really wanted him
to get over it. Last night on the porch swing he’d lost all traces of that discomfort as
he’d intimately stroked her.
“So what’s the story behind your snake tattoo?” she asked.
He glanced over his shoulder while he filled one of her pots with water. “I was
young and stupid.”
“You don’t get off that easily. I’ve seen your other tattoos too.” As soon as she said
it, she wanted to take the words back. It sounded as if she’d been watching him. Which
she sort of had been, but she didn’t necessarily want him to know that.
His dark eyebrows lifted curiously. “Is that right?”
She shrugged and tried to act casual but could feel her cheeks heat up. At that
moment, she hated having the coloring of a redhead. “I’ve seen you working out on
occasion.” When he grinned, she continued defensively. “It’s not my fault you
practically strip naked while doing it.”
He shook his head and transferred the pot to the stove. “You’re one to talk. Over
the summer I thought I’d have a heart attack watching you prance around wearing
those little bikinis.”
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Savannah Stuart
So he
had
noticed. She smothered a smile. “I do not prance,” she said as she plucked
a wineglass from one of her cabinets. Without looking at him, she continued. “And you
never answered my question.”
“I don’t remember a question.”
“Your tattoo?” She uncorked the same bottle from the night before and poured a
small glass.
His shoulders lifted slightly. “There’s no big story. I was in Recon when I was in the
service and one night me and my team got matching tattoos. It’s sort of related to a
mission we went on and managed to survive.”
“I think it’s sexy,” she murmured into her glass.
“And I think you’re sexy.” His blunt declaration silenced her. Before she could
respond, he placed his beer on the counter and stalked across the room to where she
stood by the fridge.
He took the glass from her hand and placed it on the counter somewhere behind
her. The dark look in his eyes was enough to make her melt. Reaching out, he cupped
her jaw and just stared at her. As if he wanted to eat her whole.
She swallowed as their gazes locked. Something gleamed in his eyes. She wasn’t
quite sure what it was, but it was completely primal. This was a different side to Scott.
One she very much wanted to get to know.
Being dominated in the bedroom was something she craved but she’d never found
a man to completely satisfy her. She didn’t want to get spanked or anything like that,
but the thought of letting go of all her control made her body temperature spike about a
thousand degrees.
“What are you thinking right now?” His hold on her cheek tightened slightly.
“That I’d like to skip dinner and go right for dessert.” The words came out as a
throaty whisper. She couldn’t believe she’d actually uttered them, but there was no
going back now.
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Tempting Alibi
He dropped his hand and for a split second, disappointment curled through her
until she realized what he was doing. Scott turned the stove off then shoved the cold
foods into her refrigerator. Without glancing at her, he headed for the back door. She
started to ask what he was doing when he spoke.
“Wait for me in the living room. I’m going to grab some extra wood.” Even though
his voice was slightly strangled, the words came out as a subtle order.
And she liked it.
Her heart beat erratically as she made her way to her living room. Instead of sitting
on the couch, she grabbed a couple pillows from her loveseat and stretched out on the
alpaca rug in front of the fireplace.
They were probably moving
way
too fast, but it was hard to care. Normally she
dated a man for months before thinking about sleeping with him. And even then, she
usually got too bored with them before taking that next step. With Scott, it was all she
seemed to think about. Sleeping in the same bed as him last night but not actually
having sex had been torture. She wasn’t sure how he’d managed to exert so much
control. She jumped when she heard the back door shut.
A few seconds later, he rounded the corner into her living room. His dark eyes
zeroed in on her face and what she saw there caused her panties to dampen. She’d
never seen so much raw need from anyone before.
He knelt in front of the fireplace but was silent as he started the fire. Moments later
a bright blaze illuminated the room with flickers of orange and gold. She pushed up on
her knees and sat facing him as he moved back toward the rug.
“Do you know how long I’ve wanted to get you in this position?” he asked quietly.
Sincerely. They were sitting directly in front of one another and she desperately wished
he was inside her instead.
“What took you so long?”
His jaw ticced, but he didn’t answer. Instead, he reached for the tie on her
wraparound sweater and slowly pulled the bow undone. She shrugged out of it and let
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Savannah Stuart
it fall behind her. She started to reach behind her back, but he stopped her. Without
touching her anywhere else, he reached around her and unhooked her bra.
As the skimpy covering slid down her arms, he made a guttural sound that sent
shock waves straight to the ache between her legs. Her nipples hardened under his
intense gaze.
Unable to take his heated perusal of her body anymore, she scooted forward and
reached for his sweater. “Now it’s your turn.”
Immediately he stopped her. He covered her hands and held them in place by the
bottom hem of his sweater. Last night he hadn’t taken his sweater off either. Pausing,
she stared at him, waiting. She’d seen him working out before and she couldn’t imagine
why he’d be embarrassed to take his clothes off. Not with a body like his.
He stared at her, and she was under the impression that some invisible battle raged
in his head. Finally he let go of her and lifted the sweater off himself. When he was
bared to her, she gasped when she saw the pale circular scars covering most of his
stomach. There were so many of them. She’d only seen him from a distance so she’d
never have been able to see the markings. It took a second to realize they were likely old
cigarette burns. Like really,
really
old. She didn’t know much about his family other
than his mom was dead and his father was a drunk. If she had to guess, he’d gotten the
burns from his father. A protective rage jumped inside her that anyone could hurt their
child like that.
It bothered her that he thought she’d care about something as superficial as
scarring. Leaning forward, she pressed her lips to his chest then continued a trail down
the muscular planes of his stomach. He shuddered under her kisses and fisted an
unsteady hand through her hair.
“Michaela.” His voice was ragged.
She lightly raked her teeth over his skin. When she neared the top of his pants, his
stomach muscles bunched. Without looking up, she pressed a light hand against his
chest again.
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Tempting Alibi
“Lay back,” she murmured against him.
Again he paused, but he did as she said. Once he was flat on his back with a pillow
under his head, she grappled with his button and zipper. After she pulled his dark jeans
down, her throat seized as his cock sprang free. He was bigger, thicker than she’d
guessed. She wasn’t surprised he went commando. Instead of pulling them all the way
off, she only pulled the jeans to his knees, giving him limited mobility.
When she glanced at his face, all she saw was need and hunger. Keeping her eyes
on him, she slowly bent down until she hovered over his thick length. She swiped her
tongue up the full measure of his cock. From bottom to top.
A bead of come glistened at the tip so she swirled her tongue around the
mushroom-shaped head, licking it up. His hips jerked unsteadily as she fisted the base
of his cock and took him fully in her mouth.
“Fuck, Michaela.” He leaned up and grabbed her by the shoulders with trembling
fingers.
“What?” She stared at him in confusion.
“I’ve waited too long for this. I don’t want to come in your mouth. Not this time.”
Lightning fast, he hooked his hands under her armpits and flipped her on her back.
All the air whooshed from her lungs as she watched him shimmy out of his jeans
then tug hers off. The heat from the nearby fire was nothing compared to the raging
flames burning inside her. Now there was nothing between them except her panties.
She noticed that his hands shook as he retrieved a condom from his discarded pants.
She wanted to sheathe him just so she could touch him again, but he ripped it open
before she could protest. Kneeling in between her legs, he clasped the thin straps of her
lacy panties and slid them down her legs. An involuntary shiver escaped as his gaze
zeroed in on her pussy. She’d never felt more exposed—or turned-on.
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Savannah Stuart
Scott’s cock jumped as he traced his finger along Michaela’s slit. She was soaking
wet, something that gave him immense pleasure. It felt too surreal to have
Michaela
in
front of him like this with nothing between them. The firelight reflected off her delicate
features and that gorgeous red hair of hers. She looked like a goddess stretched out
before him. Soft yet lean in all the right places.
For once in his life, he wished he was a little more charming. He’d never needed
words in the bedroom but he wanted to somehow tell her how beautiful she was, how
much it touched him that she’d kissed his hideous scars. Everything he thought of
sounded stupid though. Silence was definitely the best option.
He pushed a finger inside her and just like the night before, her tight sheath locked
around him in a viselike grip. She was wet but so tight. And soon it wouldn’t be just his
finger.
“Ahh,” she let out a small moan.
“You like that?” he whispered, not wanting to break the intimacy of the moment.
“Yes,” she hissed as he pushed deeper inside her.
He pulled out with the same slow precision. As he dragged his finger against her
inner walls, she arched her back and made little moaning sounds that tested all his
restraint. His balls pulled up painfully tight and he wanted nothing more than to pound
into her. But she wasn’t ready just yet and he didn’t want to hurt her.
When she fisted the throw rug underneath her, he pushed another finger inside her
and kept both of them still as he leaned down and kissed her clit. The bud peeked out
from her swollen lips, begging to be licked.
He swept his tongue over it and her hips jerked against him. He couldn’t contain
the chuckle that escaped. The woman was so reactive. Like a firecracker. He still
couldn’t believe how fast she’d climaxed last night. After witnessing the expression on
her face the first time he’d made her come, he definitely wanted a repeat performance.
Soon.
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Tempting Alibi
Licking her clit, he increased the pressure with his tongue and moved his fingers
again. In and out. He kept the rhythm steady. And just like that, her inner walls started