“It’s Christmas. I want you to enjoy the holiday. Our first together,” he added with a smile.“I’m terrified,” she blurted out.Jace’s gaze softened and he scooted closer to her. “There’s no need to be. I swear it. These are the very best people. They’re my family. I wouldn’t subject you to any situation I thought would be harmful to you.”“Ash is going to be there.”Jace’s eyes flickered, but he recovered quickly. But she’d seen his reaction and knew he didn’t look forward to her and Ash being together any more than she did.“Honey, listen to me. It’s inevitable that you and Ash will cross paths. You’re both very important to me. What happened happened. We can’t change it, no matter how much I wish differently. So the only thing we can do is face it and move forward. He’s not a dick. He’s not going to make things awkward. Ash is the best friend I have. He knows what you mean to me. Trust me when I say things are going to be fine.”She glanced down. “I’m sorry. I’m ruining Christmas f
Bethany smiled back. It was hard not to like Mia. She was genuine. There wasn’t an ounce of fakeness to her.“Okay, let me get this gravy done,” Mia said, sliding from the barstool. “The menfolk will start to get restless and cranky.”Twenty minutes later, everyone was seated at the formal dining table. The centerpiece was beautiful. Gorgeous, vibrant red poinsettias with elegant tapered candles on either side. Elaborate candelabras were positioned on the sideboard and the lights were dimmed to cast an intimate glow over the table.Gabe and his father occupied the two ends of the table with Mrs. Hamilton on her husband’s left and Mia to the left of Gabe. Bethany had been positioned across the table from Mia and Gabe and Jace were on either side of her, with Ash next to Mia and across the table from Jace.The food was delicious but Bethany found herself lost in the flow of conversation. The problem with being homeless and penniless was that she had nothing in common with these people.
She turned up her face and then stuck out her tongue to catch a drifting snowflake. Her laughter rang out when one melted in her mouth.He suddenly wanted nothing more than to have his dick where that snowflake had been. Him melting on her tongue. Him coming all over her mouth.Despite the cold and the snow, heat flushed through his body. Sweat bathed him.“We’re going now,” he ground out.“Okay,” she whispered.“My place.”“Okay.”“I’m going to fuck you senseless, Bethany.”“O-kay.”Her response was shaky and drawn out but her eyes told the real story. She was excited. It was all the encouragement he needed.Grabbing her hand, he tugged her back in the direction of the car. It would take a lot of doing not to fuck her in the backseat of the car. Tonight he would take her his way. Not that the last week hadn’t been his way. He’d definitely dictated the pace, the how and where, but he’d still been . . . conservative.Even after she’d been clear in that she would be a willing participan
She wanted this too much. Wanted the full power of Jace’s desire. No more holding back. No more carefully orchestrated restraint.She turned her head to the side, seeking him out, but she couldn’t find him with her gaze. But he was there. Close. She could feel him. All that coiled tension seething for an outlet.She flinched when the tip of the crop touched between her shoulder blades and then trailed a seductive line down her spine to the cleft of her ass. It left her and she held her breath, but he didn’t strike her right away. He waited until she was forced to exhale and then fire cracked over her buttocks.She gasped and tensed and then closed her eyes when the burn turned into euphoria, warm and sinfully pleasurable. A heady buzz entered her bloodstream, invaded her mind, her very soul.“Talk to me, Bethany. I want to know what you’re feeling. Every step of the way.”Jace’s husky voice made her eyes open. She blinked, struggling to even find the words. How could she?Another blow
His cock was wedged inside her ass and twitched with the last vestiges of his release. Some of the semen had worked its way out of her ass with the forceful thrusts and was sliding warmly between her legs.He lay there a long while, still inside her, as his breaths calmed and he quieted above her. He kissed her shoulder and then smoothed his hands down her arms and then down her sides.“So beautiful,” he whispered. “And mine. You’re mine, Bethany. You belong to me. Only to me.”She wasn’t going to argue. She was perfectly content to be his for as long as he wanted her. And she tried not to dwell on how short a time that might be.************Jace rose quietly from bed, careful not to wake Bethany. She was sleeping soundly. She hadn’t stirred since he’d untied her and carried her into the bathroom to bathe and pamper her before putting her to bed. The moment her head had hit the pillow, she’d fallen asleep. Which was good because in order for him to pull off his Christmas morning surp
Which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.No, it would be a very, very good thing.Throwing aside the sheets, she crawled out of bed, shivering lightly as she left the warmth. Heat that was still present from when he’d been lying in bed with her.She hesitated a moment, eyeing the bathroom, waiting for the telltale sign of steam from the shower. After a few minutes, she heard the water turn on and she quietly made her way to the door.His shower was huge. Easily big enough for two. Or even three. Completely glassed in with multiple showerheads, one overhead and two jets mounted on the wall. His outline was visible through the fogged glass and she could see him washing himself, his hands drifting lower and lower . . .She opened the stall door and stepped inside before she lost her nerve. His eyes came open, his hand circled around his cock. He blinked in surprise, but the surprise quickly turned to molten desire. His eyes went liquid and his hand stroked over the length of his cock.He we
“No, Jack.” She shook her head adamantly. “I don’t do that anymore. You know that. I can’t go back to that. Ever.”“Still, they’ll be here if you need them.”“How did you get them?” she asked, dread crowding her chest. “How could you afford that? Tell me you didn’t borrow more money.”He glanced up, swallowing the last bite of his omelet. “I didn’t borrow money. Someone owed me a favor. He hooked me up.”She closed her eyes. “Jack, you can’t keep doing this. You know it’s no good. It’s no way to live. I don’t want you taking drugs either. You can beat this. It doesn’t have to be this way. Not now.”His gaze hardened. “The way we’ve been living is no way to live. We survive, Bethy, we don’t live. You know that. And sometimes the pills make the surviving a little easier. Besides, you may have moved up in the world, but I haven’t.”“That’s not true!” she protested. “What’s mine is yours. You know that.”Jack shook his head. “Do you really think your new boyfriend is going to want me hang
Jace had a right to be angry. She didn’t refute that. But he hadn’t even given her a chance to explain. He’d been so furious. And then he’d reminded her that he owned the apartment. That she was there due to his generosity. He’d reminded her that she had nothing. Nothing but the hopelessness of their situation.He didn’t trust her. He’d hammered that point home to her over and over. And she couldn’t exist in a relationship where he suspected the worst at every turn. She’d never be able to overcome that. No matter how hard she tried, how much she gave to him, she’d never get to a place where she had his trust.She wasn’t even sure why she was back. But she needed her things. She’d take some of the clothing. Certainly not all of it, but she knew she needed the coat. And the jeans and the shirts. She could take the food she’d bought for Jack and then maybe wait for him to come back. Had he already been back? Had she missed him?At least they’d have something to eat for the next while. Sh
“No way,” she sneered. “I hate that whining, puntastic drivel.”“And ‘Poker Face’ is what? Pure musical artistry?” Chase sneered right back.“Yep.” Ava cranked the music a notch higher.He turned it back down. “You’re starting to piss me off.”“The feeling is mutual.”How had they survived these last two weeks?Wait a second. Hadn’t Chase told her he’d rarely made it past the two-week mark with any lover? Maybe this was how he intended to end it. By picking fights.But you started it. Be the bigger person and let it go.“I wish I had your damn camera pointed at you right now so you could see your diva side, a side which you claim ain’t there, because darlin’, it sure as hell is.” Spit. Spit.That smart comment totally screwed him for her being the bigger person. “I wish I had my damn camera pointed at you right now so you could see how ridiculous you look with your mouth crammed full of sunflower seeds,” she mimicked. “Ooh, and the bonus? You’d get to hear how fucking irritating it is
“What? Why?” Recognition lit her eyes and a secretive smile appeared. “Really, Chase? Right now?”“Yep.”“But I’m all sweaty. Can’t I take a shower first?”He growled, “No. Seeing your hot, bendy body stretched out over that ball does it for me in a bad way.” Using a single rough-edged fingertip, he leisurely traced the waistband of her yoga pants, low on her hips. But not nearly low enough. “Take. Them. Off.”She stood and peeled the stretchy black fabric down her legs. She began to remove her bra, but he said, “Leave it. Same position you were just in. Arched over the ball, hands on the floor behind you, feet on the floor, legs spread.”With effortless grace, Ava returned her body to its previous pose.Goddamn she was beautiful like this. Not just her bared body, but also her willingness to cede control to him. His hands skated up the outside of her thighs, still trembling from her workout. Or were they trembling in anticipation? He palmed her hips and squeezed, stopping to stroke t
He growled at the visual feast before him. Ava bound, at his mercy.Chase rocked his hips faster, driving his cock against that pliant skin, pinching her nipples in time to his thrusts. When his balls lifted, his hands fell away and almost told her to open up and swallow him to the root. But he stopped.Too soon. Not about you. About her. She needs this.Ava whimpered at the loss of contact.He caressed her cheek as he leaned forward to grab his supplies off the nightstand. “You’re beautiful. Incredible. Christ, Ava, you undo me.”She twisted in her bonds. “I want—”He placed his fingers over her lips. “In time. Now hold still.” He scooted back until he straddled her pelvis. Holding open the old-fashioned, spring-loaded wooden clothespins, he simultaneously attached them to her nipples.When she arched and emitted a surprised cry, he murmured, “Seems you have some feeling there after all.” He hopped off the end of the bed. Tapped her ankles. “Spread your legs for me. Wider. Nope wider
“Thanks.” Ava sat up and drank all the water. “So I crashed for over twelve hours. Guess I missed the rodeo last night. How’d you do?”Chase wore a stoic expression.“What? Did you have like a ninety-nine point ride or something?”He snorted.“Seriously. What happened?” Her gaze swept over him. “Did you get hurt?”“Nothin’ happened, Ava. I didn’t compete last night.”“What? Why not?”“Do you really think I’d just leave you here alone when you were so goddamn sick?”She froze.Chase grabbed her hand and rubbed her knuckles against the razor stubble on his cheeks. “I was freaked out about you. I wasn’t exactly sure what to do. I’m not…well, I don’t have much experience taking care of sick people. My first response has always been to get the hell away, so I sort of winged it.” A sheepish smile curled the corners of his mouth. “You don’t look too worse for the wear.”“I can’t believe you didn’t compete last night.”“There are more important things in life than bull ridin’.”This tough man
“The camera showed you that?”“Ava. I don’t need to look through a viewfinder to see you’re upset.”Damn intuitive man.“The camera is off. Talk to me.”“My grandfather commissioned a necklace for my sixteenth birthday. A tiny beautiful Swarovski crystal rose with a gold stem artfully twisted into an ‘A’. The one time I didn’t take it off before I jumped into the ocean? I lost it. I don’t know if the chain broke or what, but I was devastated because it happened about a month after he died.”“Aw, sugar, I’m so sorry.”Evidently Chase had enough taping. He returned the camera to the case and faced forward, wiggling to get comfortable.“Before you nod off, tell me why we’re backtracking. You planned a route through Montana and now we’re back in Cornhusker territory.”He rolled his eyes. “South Dakota is not Cornhusker territory. The reason I’m not goin’ to the event in Billings is because Ryan told me a former PBR bull rider who switched to the PRCA circuit will be competing. I don’t wan
He’d known the second he touched her he was done for. Ava needed him in a way no other woman ever had. He was a different man when he was with her, regardless if they were naked. So maybe that’s why he couldn’t freakin’ wait to get naked with her again, day after day after day.Seemed to take forever to check-in. He ditched the bags in the corner of the room. In the mirror above the sink, he saw Ava flop on the bed and heave a huge sigh.“Before you get too comfy, maybe you oughta see if you got the door shut.”She popped to her feet and resituated her skirt as she crossed the room, those fucking sexy little pleats teasing the back of her legs.When he’d gotten a look at her outfit this morning—short plaid skirt, plain white blouse, black ballet shoes—his cock had been hard all day as his head conjured up bad-schoolgirl-needing-a-spanking scenarios.Ava tested the door by pushing on it. “I don’t know why you were worried it wasn’t shut—”“Lock it.” He put his mouth below her ear and p
He stirred, moaning as his cock hardened. Lengthened.When Ava started sliding his shaft over her tongue, his hand landed on her head.Immediately it snapped back and Chase scrambled upright. “Ava? What the devil are you doin’?” He inhaled a sharp breath through his teeth when she tongued the tip. “Hell. I thought it was a dream.”She pulled off his shaft long enough to say, “Nope. I want to make this buff body to squirm.” She licked him like a lollipop.“Oh, I’ve no doubt you can make me squirm. You probably could get me to beg.” He brushed her hair back from where it’d fallen in her face. “But—”Again, Ava eased off and met his gaze in the near darkness. “But nothing. You don’t get to direct this.”If she thought he’d lovingly pet her, agree, and murmur encouragement, she was mistaken. Chase’s big hands were on her face, gripping her jaw. “Yes, I do.”His answer turned her panties damp. As did his explicit command, “On the floor. On your knees.”As Ava moved, so did Chase. He perche
She loved his reaction to the scrape of her teeth, the sucking kisses, the feather light placement of her lips in random spots on his neck. Goose bumps spread across his arms and up his nape. He shifted on the bed, not thrashing, but wiggling enough she knew he liked what she was doing to him. She reveled in this immense power of worshipping rather than being worshipped.Ava immersed herself in him. The scent of his skin. The tangy taste of his sweat. The way his muscles strained beneath her tongue. She kissed, licked and nibbled her way down the center of his throat, from his square jaw to his breastbone. And could she get a halleluiah that he had chest hair? Talk about manly, masculine goodness. She rubbed her face over the dark patch of hair, breathing him in, listening to the pounding of his heart, warmed by the heat from his skin, and knowing his body’s response to her was echoed in her body.Bracing herself on all fours above him, she watched his face as she tongued his nipple.
She pushed her hips back, meeting his every hard thrust with a soft grunt. The fringe on his chaps swung forward, the leather connecting with her skin.Even as his cock plunged into her fully, even as his balls drew up, aching for release, even as his legs shook and sweat coated his skin, he planned for the next time he fucked her. The next hundred times.Chase closed his eyes; his hands yanking her body back to meet his escalating thrusts. Faster, harder, deeper, the only words echoed in his head as primal need roared. Impossible to hold off his orgasm, no matter how much he wanted to prolong the sensation of sinking into her soft, wet, flesh.He threw back his head, groaning as his cock emptied in hot pulses. Groaning louder when he felt Ava’s pussy contracting around his dick as she came again.Heart thumping, mouth dry, lungs lacking air, Chase fell forward onto Ava’s back, bracing himself on his hands. Although this rendezvous was supposed to’ve been a dare, a fun, wild slap and