“Holy balls!” Zinnia jerked against him as the skies opened up and dumped sheets of rain on Witch Island. Even though the small porch was covered, the wind caused the rain to come in sideways, pelting them both.

  Reed pulled her off the railing and turned around, instantly shielding her from the massive storm.

  “Get inside!” she cried and yanked him into her warm house.

  Reed stood in her entryway, his back side soaked to the bone. “Christ, Zinnia. Does that happen often here?”

  She pushed her wet hair out of her face. “Often enough I guess. Being on an island, the storms can be intense.” She took him by the hand. “Come on. Let’s get you out of those wet clothes.”

  The words hung in the air for just a moment before she gave him a slow, wicked smile and said, “This time I’m going to watch.”

  Chapter Seven

  Zinnia’s heart raced and thundered against her ribcage. Had she really just implied she was going to watch him get naked? Judging by the heated expression on Reed’s face, the answer was a resounding yes.

  “You first,” he said, his voice raspy with pure lust.

  Oh boy. She needed to be more careful of what she let slip out of her mouth around him. Or did she?

  He grabbed her by the hand and pulled her through the small cottage toward the hallway off her living room. “Which one is your bedroom?”

  She cleared her throat. “The one at the end of the hall.”

  His pace quickened and in no time, he ushered her through her large master bedroom and into the en suite bathroom. Once they were standing in front of the shower, he let her go and took two steps back. After sweeping his gaze down her body, he met her eyes and said, “Are you sure you want to do this, Zinnia?”

  Was she sure? She glanced at the walk-in shower and almost laughed. How many times had she imagined this scene over the years? Granted he’d never been soaked from head to toe, but then neither had she. Zinnia nodded and slowly untied the apron. After she tossed it over the side of the tub, she raised one eyebrow at him. “Your turn.”

  His lips stretched into a slow seductive smile. “So, this is how it’s going to be? We’ll take turns?”

  She nodded. “Yep. And whoever ends up naked first gets to finish undressing the other one.”

  He laughed as he reached behind him and yanked his long-sleeved thermal over his head. Tossing it next to her apron he asked, “Are you making the rules up as you go along, Franklyn?”

  She just stared at his pecs and broad shoulders and tried not to lick her lips. Good goddess, he was gorgeous. It had only been a few hours since she’d seen him without his shirt on, but somehow he looked even more spectacular than he had at the hot spring. Maybe it was the lighting. Or the fact that he was in her house, standing in front of her shower. Or perhaps it was because now that she’d had a taste of him, every single one of her nerves were on fire.

  Unable to resist, Zinnia took a step forward and placed her hands on his chest. A visible shiver ran through him and she glanced up into his deep blue eyes and asked, “Are my hands cold?”

  He shook his head. “Not even a little bit.”

  “Oh.” She gave him a pleased smile and ran her fingertips over his defined muscles, aching to kiss every inch of him. But when she moved in to do just that, he gently placed his hands on her shoulders and took a step back.

  “Not yet, Zin. It’s your turn, remember?” He stared pointedly at her chest and then raised one eyebrow.

  She chuckled. “In a hurry, aren’t you?”

  “You’re the one who can’t keep her hands to herself.”

  “Touché.” She grinned as she lifted one foot and pulled off the boot she’d been wearing. After placing it next to the tub, she freed her other foot and stood with her hands on her hips, waiting.

  He kicked off his shoes, and they went back and forth, removing socks, belts, and watches.

  Finally, it was Zinnia’s turn to strip out of her shirt. But she’d grown impatient of the game and was desperate to feel his warm skin against hers. Instead of stopping at her shirt, she stepped out of her jeans and then went for her bra.

  “Wait,” Reed said, placing his hands on her arms, stopping her. “Let me.”

  “Game over?” she asked, running her hands from his chest to his stomach.

  “Over? Not even close, gorgeous. We’re just getting started.” He reached into the shower and turned the water on, and as the bathroom slowly started to fill with steam, he unlatched her bra. His fingers barely brushed over her skin as he ran them down her arms, taking the straps of her bra with them. Unable to wait a second longer, he filled his palms with her breasts and stared down at her, his breathing suddenly uneven. “Christ, you’re spectacular.”

  Zinnia could’ve stood there forever in a state of bliss letting him run the pads of his thumbs over her nipples, but when he lowered his head and scraped his teeth over the sensitive peak, white hot desire sizzled at her core. She let out a gasp and instantly reached for the button of his jeans.

  “Not yet, Zin,” he said, shifting away from her touch. “You have to let me enjoy you first.”

  She was torn. Her hands were greedy to be touching him, but her body was begging for everything he had to offer. Her body won when his tongue laved at her nipple while his hands slid down to her hips and down further to her thighs, taking her white lace panties with him. She felt the cloth fall to her feet as his hands moved back up. One rested on her hip while the other moved between her legs, softly probing at her warm center.

  “Fuck me, Zin. You’re so hot, so ready,” he mumbled as he moved his mouth to her other breast, giving her other nipple some much needed attention.

  “I would,” she said breathlessly, “but you won’t let me get you out of your pants.”

  He froze. Then, as if she’d said the magic words, he straightened and placed both of her hands on the waistband of his jeans. “Playtime’s over, princess.”

  She gave him a self-satisfied smile as she worked his jeans over and pushed them and his boxer briefs down his thighs. “That’s what you think, television star.”

  “Oh? And what is—oh fuck.”

  Zinnia had already dropped to her knees and took his hard, velvety cock in her hand. She was gazing up at him when she wrapped her lips around him and tasted his tip. His body trembled with the effort to stay still, and when she took him fully, letting his length hit the back of her throat, he groaned.

  “Dammit, Zin. Jesus fucking Christ, you’re going to kill me.”

  Killing him wasn’t in the plan, but she most certainly intended to make him lose his mind. Zinnia slipped her hand down to the base of his cock and started stroking him while she moved her head back and forth, sucking, tasting, and teasing.

  “Zin,” he groaned, burying his hand in her hair, his hips rocking ever so slightly as he barely held himself in check.

  She glanced up at him, pleased to see the mixture of ecstasy and sheer torture on his beautiful face. He seemed to sense she was watching him and glanced down, their gazes meeting. His eyes were wild with need, and the moment was so fucking hot that Zinnia thought she’d melt right there in front of him.

  Keeping her eyes locked on his, she ever so slowly released him from her mouth and then ran her tongue from his base to the tip.

  Reed froze. Loving the effect she was having on him, she wrapped her lips around him again. But before she could do anything else, he reached down and pulled her up and into the shower. He spun her around, pressing his chest to her back, his hands everywhere, on her breasts, her hips, her thighs, and he shoved his hand between her legs, cupping her while kneading one breast and sucking hard on her neck.

  Zinnia was so consumed by his touch, she barely felt the water sluicing over their bodies. The only thing she could focus on was his thumb as he slowly worked it ever so closer to—

  “Oh!” she gasped when he found the bundle of nerves that made her blood hum with pure pleasure.

  “I’m gonna need you to come fast and hard for me, Zin,” he growled against her neck as he increased the pressure. “Because I’m losing my fucking mind right now, baby, and once I’m inside you, I’m not going to be able to wait.”

  His words created an inferno deep in her core and when he slipped not one, but two fingers inside of her while still keeping the pressure with his thumb, her entire body started to tremble.

  “That’s it, baby. Let it all go,” he said as he pinched her nipple hard and thrust his fingers deeper. “Come for me, now.”

  His words were like a lightning rod, pulling her orgasm from her, the pleasure crashing through her as her insides throbbed with an intensity she’d never experienced before.

  “Reed,” she cried. “Yes. Oh, god, yes.” Throwing her head back against his shoulder, she held onto his neck as he continued to work her sex until the first orgasm rolled into the second and then the third. All she could do was hold on and let him pleasure her until she was limp in his arms.

  “That was… incredible,” she said and turned her head toward him to place a soft kiss on his stubbled jaw.

  “No, you’re the incredible one,” he said, his voice raw with pure lust.

  Just the sound of his need was enough to fortify her weakened body, and she started to turn into him, already reaching for his throbbing cock. When her hand wrapped around him, he let out a hiss and said, “I’m on the edge, love. If you do anything close to what you did last time, I’m not going to be able to hold back.”

  She smiled, completely satisfied by the effect she had on him. “Would you rather be inside me?”

  “Yes,” he said through clenched teeth.

  “Okay.” Zinnia released him, turned around, and bent over as she pressed her hands against the cool tile.

  “Holy shit, Zin,” he whispered as he grabbed her hip with one of his hands and ran the other down her spine. “You’re fucking gorgeous, you know that?”

  “Not as gorgeous as you are,” she said, rocking her hips back into him.

  His hard cock pressed against her, and she closed her eyes in anticipation, quivering with pure need. How many times had she imagined them together like this? Hundreds. She’d dreamed about him, fantasized what it might be like to finally have him filling her. In every one of those fantasies, she’d imagined them in a bed, usually missionary position, with both of them staring lovingly into each other’s eyes.

  Never had she imagined that if given the chance to be with Reed, she would find herself bent over in the shower waiting for him to fuck her from behind. But now that she was here, she wouldn’t change a thing. Not even for all the money in the world. She’d never been more turned on in her entire life and had never come so hard, so easily, or been so consumed by anyone.

  She already knew that her night with Reed was going to be the best sex of her life, and it had nothing to do with romance or their past friendship. What they had was pure, off-the-charts chemistry.

  “Reed?” she said, breathless.

  “Yes?” he replied, grinding his hips into her, letting the length of him slide over her slick heat.

  “I need you inside of me. Now.”

  He let out a low chuckle and continued to work himself against her flesh as he said, “Soon, love. Soon.” His movements were slow, deliberate, and downright delicious as the fire inside of her only continued to build. Her breath came quicker, and she rocked against him, needing to feel more of him and yet reveling in his torturous movements. “Be right back,” he whispered in her ear.

  She was about to protest when she heard the faint rustle of what must’ve been a foil package, and she wondered where he’d managed to find a condom.

  But all thoughts flew out of her head when he wrapped one arm around her waist, pressed his hand to her flat stomach, and reached once again between her legs and found her most sensitive spot. And just as she let out a gasp of pleasure, he drove into her from behind, burying himself deep.

  “Holy fuck,” she muttered as her eyes rolled into the back of her head.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, holding completely still.

  “More than okay. Much more.” She hung her head and pressed her ass back, wanting to take him even deeper.

  “Thank god,” he said on a groan and started to move.

  Between his cock filling her and his finger rolling over that perfect bundle of nerves, it didn’t take long for that familiar pressure to build. That perfect ache of pleasure was right there, pushing her to the edge as he thrust into her over and over and over again, harder and harder as his breathing became ragged and out of control.

  “More, Reed,” she demanded, jerking her hips back to meet him. “More. Just like that. Yes! Just. Like. That.”

  One hand tightened around her hip as he managed to hold her completely still, ravaging her with his long, hard thrusts while torturing her sex with his fingers. And when she couldn’t take it one second more, she reached down and pressed his finger to her throbbing clit and tumbled with a spectacular cry of ecstasy into another orgasm that shuddered through her entire body.

  “Zinnia,” she heard Reed call out as he thrust one last time and spilled into her, shuddering with his own release.

  It was as if the world had blinked out and then reappeared in technicolor, Zinnia thought as she found herself pressed up against the tile wall, her wolf still holding her from behind. Her blue and silver tiles seemed brighter while the white walls illuminated the room. She twisted her head and smiled up into Reed’s deep blue eyes. “Well. That was certainly a nice way to say hello.”

  He chuckled and tucked a lock of her wet hair behind her ear. “That was fucking insane.”

  “Wanna do it again?”

  His eyes widened. “Right now?”

  A small giggle escaped her lips as she shook her head. “I can barely hold myself up. Maybe after we—oh shit! The cookies!” Zinnia pulled away from him, hopped out of the shower, grabbed a towel hanging on the back of the door, and raced into her kitchen.

  Smoke was curling out of the oven, and when she pulled the door open, the piercing sound of the smoke alarm went off, making her wince. “Shit, shit, shit!”

  “Take care of the alarm. I’ll deal with the oven,” Reed called. He was standing right behind her, completely naked, and dripping water all over her floor.

  She blinked and yelled, “Do you want a robe or something?”

  He shook his head, already reaching to turn the oven off. Leaning into her, he said, “I’m fine. Get the alarm before we both suffer from hearing damage.”

  “Right.” She tightened the towel around her body and hurried to her pantry where she kept her kitchen stepladder. After stationing it under the smoke detector, she climbed up and hit the reset button.

  Nothing happened.

  She pressed it again.

  Nothing.

  “Dammit! Shut up!” she cried as she reached up and ripped the plastic housing right off the ceiling. In the process, she managed to lose her grip and the entire alarm flew to the floor. Little plastic pieces scattered, the battery rolled out, and most importantly, the obnoxious noise ceased. She let out a sigh of relief. “Thank the gods.”

  “I think the cookies are dead,” Reed said.

  Zinnia squinted through the smoke still concentrated in her kitchen and winced. “Oops. I guess I got a little distracted.”

  “A little?” He chuckled as he opened the window.

  A rush of cold air whooshed in along with the sound of the thundering rain. In no time the smoke vanished, but rain was pouring in through the window, soaking her counter and floor.

  “Damn, that’s one nasty storm,” Reed said closing the window.

  Zinnia shivered. She’d lost her towel somewhere along the way and wrapped her arms around herself as she stared at Reed’s sculpted body. Goddamn, he was beautiful.

  “Zin?” There was humor in his tone as he stalked back over to her. “You look like a woman who might be hungry for something other than cookies.”

  She reached up and pressed her hand to his scruffy cheek. “I guess I wasn’t quite as satiated as I thought.”

  He turned his head and kissed the inside of her palm. “You have no idea how glad I am to hear you say that.” Then he scooped her up into his arms and hauled her back into her bedroom. But this time as he settled beside her on her bed, instead of the almost out-of-control wolf he’d been in the bathroom, his movements were slow and deliberate as he took his time getting to know every inch of her.

  They were silent, communicating only with soft kisses and caresses, each of their bodies responding to the other as if they’d danced this waltz before, and Zinnia knew then that she’d never feel as attuned with another person as she did with Reed. And when an image of him leaving town to go back to his life in Los Angeles flashed in her mind, she firmly pushed it away. Nothing was going to ruin this moment with him. Whatever time she had with him was a gift, and she wasn’t going to ruin it.

  “I could stay right here with you forever, Zin,” Reed said softly as if reading her thoughts, rolling them both over so that he was positioned above her, his intense gaze locked on hers.

  “If this storm keeps up, you might just get your wish.” She pressed two fingers to his lips and smiled up at him when he kissed them with such tenderness that it almost made her heart break.

  He took both of her hands, laced his fingers through hers, and then pressed them against the bed over her head. Staring down at her with tenderness and raw emotion swimming in his expression he said, “This night with you means everything to me. I don’t think you’ll ever understand just how much I missed you.”

  Her breath left her as tears stung her eyes. She did understand. She’d missed him with everything she had, but she’d done her best to bury her longing. Now that he was looking down at her with something that looked suspiciously like love in his eyes, she couldn’t hold back anymore. “You’re the only one I’ve ever wanted. Make love to me.”

  He let out a barely audible, guttural sound that seemed to come from deep in his gut, and then he kissed her, slowly, deeply, passionately and didn’t stop until he’d made good on her demand.

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11