27. Upper Hand

Chapter 27

Upper Hand

The sun streamed through the kitchen window—or the space that had once been the kitchen and would one day return to its original purpose. Joy hummed, a little smile forming as she measured out the freshly ground beans and placed them in the coffee filter belonging to the coffeemaker Charlie had bought for her. The machine sat on the kitchen table, which now doubled as a counter.

Leaving his side had been tough, pulling herself away from that musculature that made her mouth water just thinking about it. But a part of her wanted to take care of him the way he had taken care of her. If she could do that by the simple act of brewing up a pot of caffeine, why wouldn't she? After their workout from a few hours ago, he would need it when he finally woke up. And breakfast. She wasn't a cook, but he liked eggs. How hard could they be to fix on her hot plate? Did she have any in the fridge?

Her finger was poised to hit the brew button when a wall of heat closed in on her back. A strong arm cinched around her waist, pulling her against hard angles.

"Why did you leave?" Charlie's sleepy voice murmured next to her ear.

"I wanted to make you coffee." She hit the button and melted against him, and he locked her in place. She couldn't move even if she wanted to … and she didn't want to.

With his free hand, he nudged her silk robe off her shoulder. Then his mouth was on her skin, laying out little licks, working across the bony point of her shoulder to the juncture between it and her neck. She braced her palms against the table's edge.

"Don't want coffee," he mumbled against her skin.

She tilted her head to the side, giving him better access. Tingles sped through her bloodstream, and she sank deeper against him, trusting him to hold her up. His hard shaft pressed into her backside. She reached around behind her and groped for it. He was stark naked.

"Then what do you want?" she managed to push out in a not-so-sexy rasp as she closed around his rock-hard length. So that's why they called it morning wood.

The hand that had bared her shoulder skimmed down her side to her waist and tugged at her tie. The silk bow slipped easily, and his fingers loosened it the rest of the way.

"This." His voice was a harsh whisper, setting her sensitized nerves on fire. He slid the robe from her body, baring her to the chill. Immediately, his hands swept up to fondle her breasts, turning her pebbled peaks harder still. He thrust into her hand, prodding her behind, so hard and so ready.

While his hands fondled her breasts, his mouth ravaged her neck, her ears, her jaw. She closed her eyes so she could feel all of it, all of him, not bothering to hold back the moans rising in her throat.

He turned her to face him, and she released him. Her butt rested against the table. Taking a half step back, his hands steady on her hips, he moved his gaze over her, taking her in, as if he was mapping every inch of her. His gray-green eyes turned smoky with lust and heat. "Fuck, you're gorgeous."

Stepping into him, she wrapped her fingers around him again and tightened her grip, her thumb circling his crown. "You're pretty gorgeous yourself. "

His lips curved into that cocky grin of his, and he moved her hand away, planting it behind her on the tabletop. "Nuh-uh. You're not going to distract me." He repeated the motion with her other hand so her back arched and her breasts stuck out.

"Stay like that." His voice carried a warning. He dropped his gaze to her chest. "Oh yeah. I like that."

He took his time perusing, and tremors moved through her, making her body tremble with excitement. Finally, he dipped his head and sucked her into his hot mouth, his tongue and teeth toying with her nipple while his hand played on the other side. As he alternated back and forth, he dropped his other hand between her thighs, caressing the soft, sensitive skin there as his fingers danced upward, nudging her legs apart. She was already breathing heavily when they reached their target and sank inside her. His thumb circled with a deft touch. She gasped.

One arm went around her waist, and he pulled away, exposing her wet peaks to the cold. He watched her through half-lidded eyes while his fingers and thumb worked their magic. In and out, in and out. He seemed to know just where and how to touch her, at times lightly and other times ruthlessly. Like the friction he inflicted, the intensity in his eyes was too much, but she couldn't look away. The table creaked beneath her.

"Come for me, Joy," he demanded. "Let go, baby. I've got you."

As if he'd yanked on a cord, she unraveled while he watched, transfixed. Fingers still buried inside her, his mouth descended on hers and stole her cries. He eased up as he rode out her orgasm with her, their chests rising and falling together.

"God, watching you come … such a beautiful sight," he murmured gruffly. Sliding his fingers from her, he pulled her against him, kissing a tender trail along the line of her neck.

No sooner had she caught her breath than he twisted her like she was made of rags, his chest to her back, and bent her over the table.

"Spread your legs, princess. I want more than just my fingers inside you."

"Mmm, yes."

"First things first. Stay like that, and I'll be right back." He gave her ass a smack and ducked into the bedroom.

She planted her feet in a wide stance, her entire body quivering with anticipation. When it came to sexual encounters, Joy had never been dominated—she always maintained the upper hand or at least stayed on an equal footing with her partner. For reasons she couldn't comprehend, she turned over control to this partner without hesitation. The way he took what he wanted was heady stuff, and every fiber in her body sang with awareness. He was primal, a stalking predator she should have wanted to run from.

Then it hit her: she trusted him.

He returned, growling, "Oh yeah," and a condom packet rustled behind her.

She glanced at him over her shoulder. "You're not going to insist I put it on this time?"

"No, ma'am. I'm not sure I could take you touching me right now."

His words made her want to preen. He leaned over her once more, one hand holding her down at her nape as he rocked against her, and the table wobbled. The coffeemaker hissed at the same time. The noise startled them both, and they burst out laughing. Their laughter shook the table.

He hauled her upright, his granite-hard shaft poking her. "Maybe this isn't such a good idea. We don't want to break this poor old table's legs and scald ourselves with hot coffee."

She turned and faced him. "It's a great idea, but we'd definitely break it. We need a sturdier surface. The back of the couch?" She raised an eyebrow.

His lips tipped up. "I thought of that. It's a little high, but it reminds me of one of the scenes in your third book."

She blinked. "You read my book?"

"All of them." Now he waggled his dark brows. "Gave me lots of ideas."

Before she could respond, he draped her over the arm of the couch and positioned her legs. With one merciless stroke, he plunged inside. The unexpected invasion stole her breath and at the same time electrified her.

A low, feral grunt rolled from him. His fingers dug into her hips, raising them to meet his pelvis. He pushed in, pulled out, over and over. His hips flexed and drove, his thrusts growing powerful and savage. The couch rocked with the pounding.

The delicious friction drove her to euphoric heights, and she welcomed the oblivion that would crash around her. She wanted to pull every sliver of pleasure from the moment. She lifted her rear to better accommodate his thickness, to encourage him to delve deeper, but otherwise couldn't move. Like their first coupling, she could only take the punishing strokes he meted out, and she ate it up. She hung on to the corporeal world by a single thread. When he slid his hand between her legs and manipulated her with his talented thumb, she felt herself heading over the edge, felt the thread fray and snap. They'd barely started when she hit that pinnacle of ecstasy and cried out his name.

He didn't slow down.

The wolf was back in control, and God, did she love it! This was what she craved from him. It was the stuff she wrote about and until now had only imagined. It was fucking . Dirty and nasty and so, so hot. The best damn ride of her life.

He erupted with a roar, pulsing inside her. Clamping down on him, she orgasmed again and lost track of who she was.

Gasping for air, he collapsed on her back, bracing part of his weight against the back of the couch. They remained like that until, with the tenderest touch, he gathered her hair in his hand and panted, "Was that too much?"

The golden retriever was back.

Pinned in place, she merely shook her head. But she could practically feel the worry lines furrowing his forehead, and she wanted to smooth them away. "No. I'm a huge fan of your beastly side."

"You bring it out in me." He kissed her shoulder and got to his feet, bringing her with him.

She turned in his arms and looped hers around his neck. Shamelessly, she shimmied against him, like a contented cat rubbing against its human's leg. She couldn't get enough of his slick skin against her own. Pushing her hair from her face, he smiled down at her, then moved his gaze to their chests heaving in unison. Apparently, he didn't mind her plastering herself against him.

She tilted her head. "I am curious whether you have a low or medium setting, or if it's always on high."

His face fell. "I thought you liked it on the hotter side. Did I read you all wrong?"

"Not at all. I do like it." She was a newly minted fan of sex on the rougher side. "I'm just curious, that's all. "

His smile returned with that devilish curve to it. "Guess you'll have to find out." He dropped a soft kiss on her head and released her. "I'm going to clean up. Then let's do it again, and I'll show you my medium setting."

She burst out with a laugh. "Are you serious? Already?"

"Well, give or take an hour and a few cups of coffee. Feel like showering with me?" He waggled his eyebrows and disappeared into the bathroom. She practically sprinted after him.

They sat at her kitchen table, sipping coffee after demolishing a bag of Mountain Coffee pastries Charlie had sweetly run out and bought. Joy was still waiting to experience his "medium setting," though she was content, sated through and through—and squeaky clean after their shower in the cramped stall. She had no idea where this would lead, if anywhere, but she promised herself she would simply enjoy Charlie for the fleeting time he was hers.

He flopped his hand onto the tabletop, palm up. Without thinking, she slid her hand into his. "I'd like to take you to dinner tonight," he announced.

"Oh! To the Miners Tavern?"

He shook his head. "I had someplace nicer in mind. I was thinking the restaurant at Silver Summit, if you're up for the drive—we'll take my truck this time." He winked. "Besides, they might put me to work at the tavern, and I'd rather just sit and talk to you uninterrupted. So unless you're craving one of their burgers …"

Remnants of the afterglow spread from her belly to her limbs. Play it cool. "I've got nowhere else to be, so sure, I'd like that."

"Not exactly a ringing ‘yes,' princess. My ego could use a little lift over here."

"After delivering multiple orgasms? I would think you're on top of Stud Muffin Hill right about now." So much for playing it cool .

Expression unreadable, he wagged his head back and forth. "It'd be nice to know I'm not just a boy toy, although if that's what you've got in mind, I'll take it. For now."

Surprised, she blurted, "Is this more than sex to you?"

He twined his fingers with hers. "I'd like it to be. I like you, Joy. I like talking to you, hearing your ideas, sparring with you. I don't just go around banging random women for the hell of it, even if people say I do."

"Unearned reputation?"

"Not completely, but that hasn't been me for a while now."

"Well, it's nice to know I'm not a random woman you're banging."

He leaned in and crooked his finger. "Closer," he murmured until her nose practically touched his. Canting his head, he slotted his mouth perfectly with hers. "You are an exciting, vibrant, special woman who is anything but random."

She wasn't positive what he meant by that, but when he wrapped his free hand around the back of her head and drew her in for a long, tongue-filled kiss that sent zips and zaps down to her toes, she didn't feel a need to figure it out. Soon they were panting and wrapping their arms around each other. He pulled her onto his lap, snaking a hand under her top, and she could feel his excitement growing beneath his zipper.

How had they gone from combatants to partners to lovers who couldn't keep their hands off each other? And so quickly? It seemed as if the universe had thrown a switch.

He broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers while his hand continued its play under her top. "I should get home for the dogs." He tweaked her nipple and removed his hand, slid her off his lap, and stood, bringing her up with him. He shot her a hungry look. "Why don't you come with me and pack an overnight bag? That way, if we're late coming back from dinner, we can go straight to my place and I can take care of the dogs. Plus, you can spend the night in a house that has an actual working kitchen and a bathroom that's bigger than a postage stamp."

Wow. Okay. Unexpected and bold, but lovely. "Have I told you lately that you're kind of pushy?"

He slipped an arm around her, palming her ass and yanking her against the bulge that hadn't diminished in the least. "Wanna see how far I can push?"

"I think I'm already acquainted with that particular, uh … "

"Talent?" He grinded against her and simultaneously sucked at a sensitive spot on her neck, pulling an errant gasp from her. Damn it!

She pressed her palms against his chest and tried not to laugh. "You drive a hard bargain."

"Ooh, I love it when you talk dirty." He nipped her neck. "Better say yes before I have you naked and squirming under me. The setting will be tuned all the way to ‘hot.'"

"That sounds more like a promise than a threat."

He released her and gave her butt an encouraging pat. "Go on. Get packed."

She tried—and failed—to control the giddy little bubbles fizzing inside her. What was she, thirteen again?

While she threw a few things together, he cleaned up the coffeemaker and the rest of their makeshift breakfast. Whatever feelings she had for this man suddenly grew exponentially.

When they reached his quaint Victorian, Sunny and Luna charged her with unbridled enthusiasm, warming her all over. Their owner did a first-class job of warming her all over too, especially when he coaxed her into a "noisy nap" and kept it to the medium setting. Surprisingly, she enjoyed the more languid tempo as much as she did the fast-paced one. Quite possibly, her pleasure had little to do with speed settings and everything to do with the man delivering said pleasure.

Within minutes, he was asleep on his back, one arm folded around her protectively. She curled into him, hand on his chest as she watched the steady breaths move in and out of him. Peace cast her adrift, and as she slipped into slumber, it occurred to her that she was falling asleep in the middle of the day—something she was never able to do—with a man she barely knew—something she never did—yet somehow, it was so utterly perfect . As though this moment had been destined. Right now everything surrounding her in Fall River felt right, and she prayed she could hang on to the feeling for just a little while longer.