Storm Warning (Security Specialists International Book 4), page 17
“That feels so good.” Goose bumps scattered over her exposed skin. She leaned into him even more.
“It’s supposed to.” Ace kissed the top of her shoulder. “Let’s get you lying down so I can work at these knots along your spine.” He trailed a thumb down one side of her spine. She moaned. “I won’t touch … anywhere you don’t want me to.”
Ace brought his thumb up the other side of her spine. He kissed his way over her shoulder to nuzzle her neck and then hummed, the sexy purr of a large cat. “You feel and smell wonderful.”
DJ heard truth in his words, heard the need he suppressed. He was trying so hard not to scare her. She wanted him so badly—her desire increased with each tender touch and caring word—but she was still worried she’d freeze at the wrong moment.
Take one step at a time, Dahlia Jane. Whatever happens, he’ll treat you with care.
Yes, he would. She pulled away from his light grasp and gave him a shy smile, then turned to head toward the bedroom. “I’m leaving my ski leggings on. We’ll start with my back and take it from there. If a back massage is all I can handle—”
“Then that’s what you’ll get. We’re going at your pace. I’m looking for a relationship, not a one-night-stand.”
His statement alleviated any last twinge of doubt in her conscious mind. And if her subconscious mind reared its ugly head, then Ace would handle it.
Ace followed her, moving as silently as a cat. His dad and brothers had done a good job, teaching him how to stalk quietly. So, she wasn’t too surprised when his next words were whispered hotly across one bare shoulder.
“And you’ll sleep with me.” A statement, not a question.
She thrilled at the hint of dominance sheathed in a velvet glove.
“You can sleep in one of my T-shirts and your long johns. I’ll wear my boxers. I want to hold you all night just like in the cave. Deal?”
“Deal,” she whispered, but knew he’d heard her when he placed a nibbling kiss on her shoulder. She shivered.
“Thank you for your trust. It means a lot to me.” He patted her jeans-covered ass. “Strip to your long johns, sugar. Grab a bath towel to protect the sheets from the oil and then lie on it, face down. I’ll warm up some almond massage oil. Any scent you don’t like?”
“You have choices?” She looked over her shoulder and blushed at the loving, appreciative look in Ace’s eyes.
He grinned. “I have a sister who’s into aromatherapy and holistic healing methods. She pushed some of her smelly stuff on me and, damn, if she wasn’t correct. The stuff really works.”
DJ chuckled. She could see Keely lecturing her brother and probably every other macho male on Sanctuary about the healing properties of herbs and flowers.
“No preferences as to a particular scent. However, I’m still sore and somewhat bruised from the avalanche. Some arnica would be nice.”
“Arnica and peppermint—it’ll be calming.” He turned and left the room. She barely caught the words he muttered—“for both of us.”
A rush of happiness warmed the cold, dark places inside where Sean had done a lot of damage. Ace wanted her badly, but he wasn’t pressuring her as other men had. It had taken traveling the world and ten years, but she’d finally found the one man who could deal with her intimacy issues.
DJ stripped off her jeans, leaving her ski leggings on. Entering the large and very sumptuous granite-tiled master bath, she pulled a large bath sheet in charcoal grey off a heated towel bar. She re-entered the bedroom and placed it on the king-size bed. Lying on the towel, she moaned at how good the heated terry cloth felt against her tired, achy body. She luxuriated in the warmth for several seconds before propping herself up on her forearms to take in more details of Ace’s bedroom.
An accent wall at the head of the simple steel-gray iron tester bed was made up of white and gray rock and was lit by hidden lights from above and below. The bed sheets were pristine white; the blankets and linen bedspread were various shades of gray. The floors were stained cement and had been warm on her bare feet. White rugs she’d once heard someone call “flokati” were placed on each side of the bed and in the small seating area off to the far side of the room.
The seating area was anchored by a stone fireplace centered in the middle of a floor-to-ceiling window wall; the view was of the rustic mountain landscape. The rest of the bedroom walls were dark-stained rough wood that reminded her of the tobacco barns she’d seen in her youth. The room’s art and accent colors were all Native American in shades of reds, golds, blues, and greens.
The overall effect was both masculine and artistic. Everything was neat and clean, probably the result of being raised by a Marine.
“Like it?”
She turned her head to find Ace standing at the end of the bed, his gleaming gaze focused on her and nothing else.
“Just like the great room … it’s you.” Strong and intelligent, but also sensitive and intuitive. She angled her head toward the window. “We gonna put on a show for anyone just happening by?”
Ace’s lips twisted upwards as he shook his head. He walked to the side of the bed and picked up what looked like a remote control, then aimed it at the window wall and pushed a button. A slight whooshing noise and blinds made of some sort of translucent, dark fabric came down over the expanse of glass on either side of the fireplace. Another push of a button and the fireplace flamed into life.
“Cool gadgets.” She wrinkled her nose. “But people can still see through the fabric, Ace, because I can see out. It’s taking every nerve I have to bare this much for you … not sure I can handle anyone else seeing me half-naked with you touching me.”
“No worries, sugar. We can see out. No one can see in.” Ace swept a hand up and down her back. He hadn’t even started the massage yet and already her skin tingled. Once he really got going, she might just die from a surfeit of sensation.
“Never in this world will I let anything, anyone, or any situation hurt or embarrass you. You can take that promise to the bank.” He leaned over and placed a kiss at the top of her spine as he traced a finger along the waistband of her leggings. He then used a thumb to knead the knots she hadn’t even realized she had at the base of her spine.
DJ collapsed her arms and face-planted into the mattress. “Gawd,” she sighed into the towel beneath her, “that feels good.”
“I aim to please.” He peppered kisses up her spine. The sensation made her giggle. He stole her breath when he placed a light bite at the juncture of her neck and shoulder.
The mattress moved as Ace climbed onto the bed. “I’m gonna straddle your legs so I can get better leverage. Is that okay?”
She smiled. Even now, he took the time to make sure she wouldn’t freak out.
“I’m good.”
“You’re better than good.” He pressed his jeans-covered knees against the outside of her thighs.
The sensation of something warm and oily hit her back. The contrast between the heated oil and her air-cooled skin made her shiver. Ace’s touch as he began with long and light strokes up and down her back made her moan.
The scent of the peppermint and the lulling motion of Ace’s hands almost put her to sleep. Then he got down to work, working out each and every knot along her spine. The feeling was both painful and sublime. She groaned. Sweet Jesus, she could get used to this.
“You hurting?” The question was whispered next to her ear.
“Hmmm. More.” She arched upward onto her forearms and looked at him over one shoulder. His face was close. “Kiss me. Then could you work on my cervicals a bit more? My neck is still twinging from being stuck sideways in a hole in the mountain.”
He smiled and took her lips in a light kiss which ended all too soon. “You good? I mean, have I triggered—”
She rushed to cut off that line of thinking. “No bad memories. Everything you do makes me feel wonderful.” She closed her eyes as she prepared to savor every single second of his touch and closeness. “I’d tell you if it were bad.” She plopped face forward on the towel once more. “You’ve got healing hands, Stuart Allen Walsh.”
Even better, he was also healing her from the inside out.
“Neck and cervicals coming up. Let me know if my touch gets too aggressive.” Ace began rubbing across the fiber of the muscles at the nape of her neck. It was painful, but it was a good pain. She could almost feel the lactic acid release as he unknotted muscles that had been hard and hurting for days … weeks … maybe even years from stress. Soon, she floated on a haze of what felt like an endorphin release, losing all touch with reality. She might’ve even lightly dozed.
Then he stopped and she groaned, “No-o-o-o. Feels good.”
Ace chuckled and placed another biting kiss on the place where her neck joined her shoulder. “Let’s put you to bed, sleepy head.”
She opened heavy-lidded eyes and smiled. Ace wore a look of amused indulgence. Looking more closely into his eyes, she found banked desire. Her body reacted. Her nipples pebbled tightly. Her core clutched at emptiness that only he could fill. She wanted him, but was too tired to figure out what to ask for.
“Hey, sugar,” he whispered. “Gonna put a shirt on you.”
Her eyelids drifting shut, she managed to murmur, “Mmmm.”
The sensation of being lifted and something soft and smelling of Ace pulled over her head registered in her foggy brain as floating on clouds. She was lowered to the bed and a light kiss brushed over her lips. She moaned, “Ace…”
“Hush, you’re safe in my bed. I promise.” Ace’s lips nibbled over hers once more. She licked her lips, tasted him, and smiled. “We’ll talk in the morning. Night, Dahlia Jane.”
The world grew even darker behind her eyelids and she slept.
Chapter 13
DJ yawned and stretched as she slowly woke up from one of the best night’s sleep she’d had since, well, since she’d last slept next to Ace.
Must be the sense of safety he provides.
She’d had years and years of sleeping in places that were unsafe or had the potential to be. She could really get used to this new experience.
“Morning, sugar.” Ace pulled her back against his body so that her back met his front. Because he was only four or so inches taller than her, their bodies meshed perfectly. So much so, her back met his lightly furred chest and her butt made contact with his long, hard, and hot cock.
Ahhh, the much-vaunted morning wood.
Having worked alongside men, she couldn’t avoid overhearing about this common biological occurrence. Men seemed to have no shame and liked to talk, and even brag, about their cocks.
Women, or at least the ones she’d met prior to coming to Idaho, didn’t talk about their sexual arousal. Keely and her friends seemed to have no problem, talking about their sex lives and about the possibility of sex—hers with Ace—with nary a blush.
DJ had a long way to go before she could sit over lunch and discuss sexual urges and her newfound desire for Keely’s brother. Hell, she had a hard enough time talking about sex with him—and he’d inspired all those urges.
Sexual intimacy was not for wussies.
So … stop being a wuss.
“Morning.” She buried the side of her face into her pillow and sought for some courage. Finally, she took a deep breath and mumbled, “Um, doesn’t that hurt?” She wiggled her bottom against his erection which reacted by moving and nestling more firmly against the cleft of her butt.
Ace kissed the back of her neck. It was amazing how the mere touch of his lips at the top of her spine awakened the nerve endings at the apex of her thighs. Damn, the man was potent if the mere brush of his mouth could arouse her so quickly.
“If it does, it’s not your problem. But I can truly say it hurts a lot less knowing you went to sleep in my bed and woke up in my arms. So all is good. A nice shower and my hand will take care of the problem.”
She had a clear mental image of him, all long, lean muscles and naked skin glistening with water with his hand on his erection, taking care of the problem.
No, that was wrong. All wrong. If she was to be his, then he had to be hers. And she needed to start being the woman she wanted to be. She had to gut it up and ask for what she wanted.
“Um … can I help with … it? Not the shower, I mean…” She stopped and hid her face in her pillow and mumbled. “…well, you know what I mean.”
Way to woman up and spit it out.
Now, that she’d made the offer, as tongue-tied as it was, what would she do if he accepted? She didn’t have the first effin’ clue about how to help Ace take care of his erection that didn’t involve actual intercourse. Her stress titer told her she wasn’t ready for home base just yet.
Goddamn, Sean for making her a sexual cripple.
Ace rolled her over until they lay face-to-face. Well, his face was against the top of her head since she was too humiliated to look at him.
He refused to let her hide and tipped up her chin. “Don’t be embarrassed. That was the sweetest offer I’ve ever had.” He kissed her heated cheek, then moved his lips over her face until he took her mouth in a deep, tongue-thrusting kiss that soon had her tangling her tongue with his and moaning in the back of her throat.
After a while, Ace groaned and then pulled his mouth from hers. He looked into her eyes and smiled. “That’s better. Now the color in your cheeks is from our kisses—and the deer in the headlights look is gone from your eyes.”
DJ shook her head and snorted. “Deer in the headlights? Hell yeah, I looked scared, because I was … am. I’ve never, ever helped a man with his … you know.”
“I sort of guessed that.” He rubbed his nose alongside hers. “That makes the offer extra-special.”
DJ licked her lips. “I never even thought about offering … until you. Would you teach me … how to help with … it?”
Ace chuckled. “Sugar, it’s called a cock or a dick or a penis—or in this instance, a full-blown erection.”
She nodded. “Okay, can I help you with your full-blown erection?”
Ace touched his forehead to hers and breathed slowly for several seconds. He was going to refuse. For some reason, she felt bereft as if she’d failed as a woman. She was such a loser.
He raised his head and looked her straight in the eyes. “We’ll start with you using your hands. That sound okay?”
Relief swept through her like wildfire. He hadn’t rejected her, was willing to proceed at her pace and work with her fears and lack of experience. “Yes.”
“Good.” Ace sat up and pulled her with him. He propped pillows behind their backs to protect them from the cold metal headboard. “Now, sit close to me.” She wiggled over until her left side hugged his. “I’m going to pull my cock out, then I’ll show you what makes me feel good, okay?”
DJ nodded. Her gaze was glued to his boxers and the prominent bulge lying beneath the plaid flannel fabric. When he shoved his boxers down to his thighs, she took a deep breath and steeled herself against potential flashbacks.
When the past didn’t swamp her with frightening memories, she was shocked—and relieved.
“You all right?” Ace cupped her face and angled her head until his fiercely protective gaze captured hers. “Breathe, sugar.”
She blew out the breath she’d held and then took another. Covering his hand with hers, she patted it. “I’m fine. I haven’t seen all that many cocks up close and personal.” She examined Ace’s erect penis. The head was somewhere between a red and a purple in color, very much like the plum it resembled. The veins on his shaft were prominent as they pumped blood to his erection. His shaft was thick and seemed really long … she reached with her right hand to test the size, then stopped.
“DJ, if this is bringing back bad memories…”
Leaning into him, she kissed his chin. “Surprisingly, it’s not. I’m feeling almost as breathless and excited as the first time I took up a Black Hawk. May I touch it?”
“Sugar, this only works if you touch it.” He took her cold hand in his oh-so-warm one and placed it on his cock. His penis jerked within her light grasp. “Go ahead, squeeze it. If I weren’t already this erect, you’d start out lighter—but at this point, a firm grip is good.”
She gripped it just as she would the Black Hawk’s cyclic stick—hard enough to control, light enough to sense and adjust to changes in conditions. Her fingers barely enclosed his breadth. She gave the shaft a small squeeze. The shaft was firm, but responsive. The skin was like hot silk over steel.
“Harder.” He placed his hand over hers and forced her fingers tighter around his penis. “There, that’s good. I was half-aroused all night with your sweet scent surrounding me. Ready to come ever since your delectable ass snuggled into my cock. Your hand feels so good. But … we need to take this lesson slowly, or it’ll be all over before we’ve even begun.”
Her confidence swelled. She’d taken him to the verge of losing his vaunted control by just being close to him. One thing she’d learned over the last weeks was Ace had an iron will. The fact she could pierce it gave her equal power in the relationship. It was only fair. He sure as hell had cut through all her defenses.
“Okay.” She leaned forward and kissed his nipple. His full body shudder delighted her. Good to know his nipples were as sensitive as hers. “What next?”
“Now, you stroke my cock.” He guided her hand up and down the seven or so inches—more on the “or so” side—in a slow, steady rhythm. After a couple of minutes of the tip-to-root and back motion, he urged their hands into a slightly faster, jerkier speed.
After a few minutes of the rougher handling, he stilled their hands and then guided hers to her mouth. “Put your thumb in your mouth and get it really wet.” His voice was husky and somewhat breathless. Sweat glistened on his skin, clung to the golden-brown hair on his chest. He looked as if he had a fever. “Thumb, Dahlia Jane. Now.”
Staring into his eyes, DJ sucked her thumb, tasting the salty muskiness of Ace’s penis, and pulled it out. “What—”
“Wetter. My cock head skin is more sensitive than my shaft.” He sucked her thumb into his mouth and made it even wetter. Then he took their joined hands back to his erection. “Use your thumb and sweep it over the top of my cock to spread the precum around.”
