Page 28

Chapter 27

Dane held my hand while we took a Christmas afternoon stroll around the neighborhood, and for the first time, I was a hundred percent okay with it. This wasn’t for show or because newlyweds should hold hands a lot. No, this was real couple stuff.

And that made my stomach grind with guilt. I wasn’t supposed to like this guy. I wasn’t supposed to get flutters in my belly when he looked at me.

Not to mention the flutters I’d now be getting in other places, thanks to our little escapade beside the Christmas tree. I couldn’t stop thinking about his very talented tongue and all the things he’d done to me with it.

“Around seventy percent of the population can roll their tongues,” I blurted out and then mentally kicked myself in the ass. Well, that wasn’t obvious .

“Wildcat,” Dane drew out, shaking his head in mock consternation. “I wonder why in the world that thought popped into your pretty little head.”

“Shut it,” I mumbled, avoiding his smirking face as we rounded the block back onto our street. As always, my gaze went immediately to the big yellow house that sat two doors down from ours. I wasn’t sure what it was about that place that intrigued me. It was larger than the one we lived in but somehow cozier with its Victorian style, wide porches, and white trim.

The Corrigans, a middle-aged couple, had moved out three months ago because they were relocating to Oregon to take care of Mrs. Corrigan’s elderly mother. It made me sad to see the grand place abandoned.

Instead of walking by, Dane lightly tugged my hand and led me up the walk.

“What are you doing?”

“Checking out this house.”

“We’re trespassing,” I hissed, attempting—and failing—to drag him back to the main sidewalk.

He ignored me, ascending the three steps onto the covered porch and cupping one hand to peer into one of the paned-glass windows. “Huh. I can’t see much. Let’s go inside.”

“Dane! Have you lost your mind? What are you going to do, break in?”

The corners of his lips lifted when he produced a key from the pocket of his gray sweatpants. If I hadn’t been so shocked, I probably would have checked him out in those pants. For about the twentieth time since he’d put them on earlier.

Looking quite pleased with himself, Dane inserted the key into the front door lock, tossing me a look of fake surprise when it opened. “Would you look at that?”

He made a sweeping gesture, indicating for me to enter, and I did, dumbfounded into silence. The house was nothing short of grand on the inside with high ceilings and honey-colored hardwood floors. We stood in a wide foyer with a short wooden bench just beside the door. Ahead was the living room, and the open floor plan allowed a view into a gorgeous kitchen with a marble island as the centerpiece.

I finally found my voice. “What are we doing in here?”

“I got the key from the realtor and thought you might like to take a look around. You’re always staring at it.”

“Well, it’s really pretty, but… Wait, did you say realtor?” I backtracked, peering out the window into the front yard, where I saw no hint of a For Sale sign.

“Yeah, a guy named Clint who I overheard talking about it at the bakery.” Dane had been working at Sweet Heaven a couple days a week so Charles could travel to Miami to see a wound care specialist. The older man had stepped on a nail during the hurricane cleanup, and it hadn’t healed well.

“So, it’s for sale?”

“It’s going on the market next week.” He lifted an eyebrow at me. “Making sure to always have the realtor’s favorite cookies on hand can get a person some very interesting inside information.”

“Ooh, sugar-fueled shadiness. I like it.” I looked around at the beautiful home, noticing the floating staircase leading up to the second floor. This place was as amazing on the inside as it was from the street. “But that doesn’t explain why we’re in here.”

“I thought since our situation has changed from short-term to indefinite, we might want to get our own place. I’m sure Robert and Jamie would like to have their vacation home back.”

I could literally feel my eyes light up with excitement. “Seriously? You mean we could buy this place?”

Dane stuffed his hands into his pockets, biting his bottom lip. “If you want to. They’ve priced it to sell, and we have plenty of money from… you know.”

From the money his father was going to use to buy me… which we then stole from him.

My shoulders hunched up around my ears. “Let’s look around.”

Fifteen minutes later, I was officially in love with this house. It was modern and spacious, but it also had an undeniable charm that spoke to me. And the master bathroom? I freaking adored it. The floor in there was white tile with tiny black accents, and the countertop and shower were covered by candy-apple-red tiles with black grout. The black dual sinks were a stunning contrast to the red, and intricate tin panel tiles made up the ceiling. It was a fun and undeniably sexy room.

“It would probably be best if we financed it. Handing over that amount of cash would look suspicious,” Dane mused as we descended the stairs. I wanted to squeal like a little kid at this staircase. Every step lit up from below each time you stepped on it. It was cool as hell. Once we reached the first floor, Dane gripped my hips and pulled me toward him. “What do you think?”

“I really like it.”

He studied my face. “Then why are your eyebrows pinching together?”

“It just seems so…”

“Permanent?” he filled in, and I nodded.

“Yes.”

“Houses can be sold, especially ones near the beach in Florida. We can probably sell it quickly when our situation is resolved.” He looked out the windows overlooking the backyard. “Or maybe I’ll just buy you out and stay here when you go back to New York.”

The thought of that brought on a rush of mixed emotions I couldn’t quite understand. Elation. Hope. And a little bit of sadness.

Smiling tentatively, I said, “Then I say we go for it.”

Dane lifted me by the backs of my thighs, and I wrapped my legs around his waist. Holding me up with one hand, he turned his ball cap around backward and kissed the hell out of me. I melted into him like a snow cone in the Sahara.

He pulled back and laid a sweet peck on my nose. “I know this isn’t perfect, Eden. I know you want to be with your family, but I’ll do my best to make you as happy as possible while you’re stuck with me.”

Tears filled my eyes, and I could only nod.

“Robert and Jamie said to tell you hi,” Dane said, walking in from the hallway once we were back home and tossing his iPhone onto the coffee table. He still had his hat on backward, which had the effect of making my nipples perk up. Not to mention the way his sweatpants hung off his hips.

“Are they having fun in Park City?”

Dane chuckled. “Yes, but Robert said his knees hurt after skiing the past three days. They’re going to spend some time in the hot tub tonight.”

“Any new Evie sightings?” The FBI had finally ruled the actual sighting of me months ago in Jacksonville as unreliable. There were no video cameras, and the woman at the convenience store had been near the end of a double shift and was tired. According to Fiero’s spying, that information had trickled down to Luca, which was a relief.

“Oh, yes,” he said, plopping down beside me. “A woman named Thorunn called the Feds and swore she saw you in an ice cave in Iceland.”

“Wow, I’m really living my best life. I was just spotted hanging out near the Great Pyramid of Giza last week.”

The Evie sightings had become a bit of a running joke for us. Robert used his skills to regularly tap into the FBI database and delighted in calling us every couple weeks to let me know where I’d been “spotted.” The FBI call center received at least a dozen each day, and most were dismissed as dead ends. Luckily, there hadn’t been any more Florida sightings.

“You’re quite the world traveler,” he said, picking up the mug of hot chocolate I’d prepared and looking at the coaster. It read, I enjoy being used . He snickered and looked at mine, his eyebrows lifting when he read the words. Make me wet . “Never thought coasters could make me horny,” he muttered, adjusting himself in his pants. “What are we watching?”

Using the remote, I clicked on the television. “ The Santa Clause . I love Tim Allen in that movie.”

“Agreed. Just don’t make me watch fucking Elf again,” he grumbled.

“That’s next,” I replied breezily, knowing he despised Will Ferrell in that film.

“Jesus,” he groaned, tipping his head back against the couch. “Why the hell do I put up with you?”

“Because I give good hand jobs,” I retorted.

Dane ran his tongue over his top teeth and eyed me before wrapping an arm around my shoulders and pulling me into his side. “Can’t argue with that.”

My first Christmas Day without my family was better than I could have expected. I missed the hell out of them, but Dane had made it… nice. The thoughtful gifts. The sexy stuff. The prospects of us buying the butter house.

And then the stomach virus hit. We’d just finished Elf when my stomach rolled over on itself. I pursed my lips and breathed in and out, trying to tamp down the nausea. It didn’t work.

Clamping a hand over my mouth, I muttered, “Shit,” and sprinted to the bathroom. It wasn’t pretty, and through the heaves, I managed to groan, “Get. Out,” when Dane trailed behind me and held a cool washcloth to the back of my neck. He didn’t listen.

In fact, for the next three days, he didn’t leave my side except to bring me Sprite, broth, and crackers, despite my warnings that he could get sick too.

By New Year’s Eve, I was feeling better and eating everything in the house. “Stop smirking at me,” I said around a mouthful of Pringles. “I’m hungry.”

“Could you eat some spaghetti?”

“And meatballs?” I asked hopefully, looking up at him from my lounging position on the couch. I batted my eyelashes for added effect.

“If milady wishes.” He reached down and gripped my wrist, staring down at where his fingers met. “You’ve lost so much weight. I need to fatten you up a bit.”

Scrunching up my face, I shook my head. “Never say ‘fat’ to a woman. Not in any context.”

“I didn’t say you were fat. I said—” I glared at him until he redirected and drifted a single finger over my cheek. “Your color is better. Am I allowed to say that?” he asked dryly.

“Depends. Are you making garlic bread too?”

“Who do you think you’re dealing with? An amateur?” he scoffed, pinching my chin. “Do you think you’ll feel up to going out to dinner tomorrow night since it’s our anniversary?”

My eyes widened. “Our… what?”

He actually blushed. “The date on our marriage license is New Year’s Day. I know it’s fake, but… I’d like to take you out.”

I chewed on my bottom lip, attempting to hide how happy that made me. “Okay, that will be nice. I can wear that blue dress you got me for Christmas.” In addition to the turtle necklace, Dane had spoiled me with tons of new clothes.

Something swelled up inside of me and it was becoming almost impossible to deny. Affection for this hardened man who showed me a softer side.

Affection and maybe something… more?

Dane led me inside the house after our “anniversary” date. The seafood had been wonderful, and then he’d taken me to a little jazz club with cool music and dim lighting. The effect was incredibly sexy, especially when he’d held me close on the dance floor and pressed his cheek against mine.

Cheek to cheek dancing… Why was that so damned romantic? His masculine scent had surrounded me as snugly as his arms, and his warm breath against my ear had a constant supply of tingles running up and down my spine. And lower.

We’d stayed on the floor, swaying to the sultry music until my stilettos threatened to rub all the skin off my big toes, and then he’d brought me home. When we crawled into bed, I wanted him to roll over on top of me. I wanted him to push inside me and stay there all night long.

But no. I needed to keep some kind of distance between us. That thing on Christmas morning was an anomaly. Just a momentary lapse of judgment. And it wasn’t going to happen again.

Though it had been the most erotic moment of my life.

You hate him, my brain reminded me, but the rest of my body felt the lie. Especially the part beneath my panties.

With my cheek pressed against Dane’s back, I inhaled a mixture of his body wash and the hint of leather from the jacket I’d bought him for Christmas. He’d looked smoking hot in it tonight, the soft black leather hugging his tall, muscular frame just right.

Dane’s breathing slowed and evened as every blood cell in my body seemed to congregate in my clit. I needed some relief. Sliding my arm from his waist, I cupped my sex, allowing my fingers to press against my most sensitive spot. Wanting friction, I rocked my hips and groaned quietly at the relief that was on the horizon.

The big man beside me stirred, and I held my breath for a few long seconds. When he didn’t wake up, I carefully rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling, the need still pulsing in my core.

Fuck it. Without shaking the bed I slid off the mattress and crept into my closet, rummaging around until I found the box that held the vibrator I’d ordered from Amazon.

“Hello, old friend,” I whispered to it, pressing the button to turn it on and see how loud it would be if I used it in the bathroom. Nothing. No vibrating. No buzzing. Dead.

I cursed under my breath, a quick inspection telling me the charger wasn’t in the box. Where the hell is it? I checked the charging hole on my toy. It was one of those round ones, similar to a laptop charger. I suddenly remembered a drawer full of various cables in the kitchen. Maybe Jamie and Robert had something that would fit it.

Tiptoeing into the bedroom, I made sure Dane was still asleep and quietly made my way to the kitchen. I slid open the drawer and began pulling out cables and scrutinizing their ends.

No. No. Not even close. Ah, this one has potential. Fitting the plug end into the hole, I smiled. Bingo. So excited about my find, I didn’t even hear him enter the kitchen until he spoke.

“E, what are you doing?”

“Gaaaaah!” I shouted, whirling around and shoving the toy behind my back, my eyes like giant globes bulging from their sockets. “Dane, you scared the hell out of me.” I put on the fakest smile I’d ever attempted, probably looking like a creepy ventriloquist dummy.

“Sorry, I woke up and was afraid you were sick again.” He took a step toward me. He was only wearing his boxer briefs, the olive skin over his cut chest and abs almost incandescent in the glow of the small light over the sink.

“Nope, not sick. Not me. I’m grrrreat!” Jesus, I sounded like Tony the Tiger from those Frosted Flakes commercials.

His eyes dropped down my body. “What do you have behind your back?”

“Nothing.” I said that way too quickly, and Dane’s dark eyebrows lifted.

“Can I see your hands?”

“My hands? Sure you can see my hands.” I showed him one and then the other, switching the vibrator from one to the other behind my back. The old switcheroo. Genius.

He drummed his fingers on his bottom lip, and I was pretty sure I saw a muscle tic beside his mouth. “Can I see both of them at the same time?”

“Ha. You’re being weird,” I deflected while stuffing the vibrator into the waistband of my pink satin sleep shorts at my back and then waggling both hands at him. Take that, buddy.

There was only one problem. I’d lost a few pounds, and the waistband of my pants no longer fit me snugly, so the toy slipped down past my butt, out the right leg hole of my shorts and directly onto the floor between my feet.

Plunk.

We both looked down, and there it was… my vibrator in all its purple, rabbit-eared glory.

“Huh. I have no idea how that got there,” I mused.

Mortification heated my entire face. I usually considered myself a fairly sharp-witted person, so I had no idea why I was babbling out that nonsense. Dane and I both knew exactly where it had come from.

Risking a glance at his face, I noticed another little twitch of his lips before he bent to pick it up. The asshole was amused by this whole situation.

He held it up and turned it over in his hands, giving it a very thorough inspection. The damn cord was still dangling from it. Dane took it between his fingers and swirled it in a circle.

“I saw this hanging down and thought you were either charging something, or you’d grown a tail.”

“You’re hilarious,” I said without a trace of humor. I’d thought the vibrator was huge when I bought it, but it looked small in his hand, especially compared to his own… toy.

Dane took a step toward me, getting into my space. My butt was backed up against the countertop, and he widened his stance, placing his feet on either side of mine.

“Are you feeling…” his eyes raked me up and down, scoring my body like hot coals before finishing with, “ needy , Eden?”

The way he growled that sent a flood to my pussy. Clenching my thighs together, I lifted my chin. “What if I am?”

“Why didn’t you ask me?”

“I-I didn’t want to wake you up.”

His bulge throbbed against my belly as he leaned forward, his nose almost touching mine. “If my wife has needs, I will take care of them. Any time. Any place.”

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph . His tone oozed complete filth, and I felt the need to do the sign of the cross. You’re not even Catholic, Eden , the voice in my head reminded me.

“I guess you’re one of those men who thinks women shouldn’t have… devices,” I said defiantly, trying to control the hitch in my breathing.

The villainous curve of his lips was slow and deliberate as he dragged the vibrator up the inside of one of my thighs.

“Oh no, sweetheart. Don’t think for a second that I’m intimidated by sex toys. I consider them my teammates, not my enemies.” Dane leaned forward until his lips were pressed against my ear, dropping his voice to almost a whisper. “They can add endless hours of fun to playtime.”

He punctuated that naughty little bomb by tapping the bulbous head of the toy against my sex. I swallowed hard. Did he say hours?

“It was dead, so I was looking for a charger,” I admitted. “The little ears don’t flicker without power.” I gestured toward the clit-tickling rabbit ears at the base of the toy with one circle of my fingers.

He rubbed the vibrator back and forth between my legs, and my breaths seemed to get lost somewhere between my lungs and my mouth.

“There are… other things that flicker,” he informed me coolly, dragging his tongue along my bottom lip to emphasize exactly what kind of flickering he was talking about. “If that’s something you’re interested in.”

“I d-don’t… know,” I stuttered out.

His grin widened. “Oh, I think you do know. Should I put the Christmas tree back up to remind you?”

Visions of me sprawled on the floor with Dane’s head between my legs flickered through my muddy brain, and I groaned. “Dane…”

His mouth closed over mine at the same time he increased the pressure of the vibrator against my core. His tongue gave me a very convincing demonstration of his skill, and then he moaned into my mouth, “Say yes, Eden.”

I breathed, “Yes,” into his, and a minute later, my shorts and underwear were puddled on the floor, I was sitting on the counter, and a huge hulk of a man was kneeling between my thighs. He even took time to wash the toy since it had fallen on the floor.

Dane’s eyes looked almost metallic when they met mine in the dim light, and he spat on the head of the vibrator. Whyyyy? Why is that so hot?

“Put your heels on the counter,” he demanded, and my feet asked no questions before doing exactly as asked. Lifting the toy, he slid the wet head of it through my slit, bumping against my clit with every pass. Then he pressed it forward until the crown was inside me. “I believe I promised you some flickering.”

With that, his mouth went to work, that marvelous tongue of his battering my clit as he began fucking me slowly with the vibrator. Tilting the device slightly, he found a spot that had my knees snapping shut around his ears. He glared up at me.

“Keep your fucking legs open, or I’ll stop.”

Dear. God. No one had ever been bossy with me like that, and I fucking liked it. Widening my legs, I thumped my head back against the cabinet as he resumed his previous activities. The slow fuck. The quick tongue. It all promised an impending orgasm that I was sure would blow the top of my head off.

When Dane pressed the cock deep and gave a swirl of his wrist, the pressure of his tongue on my little button intensified. “Oh shit, I’m close,” I panted as he sped up the thrusts inside me. “I’m… I’m…”

No more words were forthcoming as my body exploded like a supernova fracturing in the depths of space. All sounds were muffled except for his grunts and slurps as he pulled the vibrator out and replaced it with his tongue.

Dane lapped up everything I was giving him, and it was a lot. My climax seemed to go on forever as his mouth coaxed and tasted. “Fuck, you have the sweetest little pussy, Wildcat,” he mumbled into me, and I felt another gush of wetness escape me.

He grinned up at me. I wasn’t sure how he managed to smile and eat me out at the same time, but he was talented like that. As I began to come down, a dull pain pulsed through my fingers, and I realized I’d been clenching the counter until the edge was almost cutting into my flesh.

Loosening my grip, I took several deep breaths and asked, “What are you smiling about?”

He rose, his face covered with my arousal, and held my jaw in one hand. “I just realized my wife has a praise kink.”

“No I don’t,” I protested, and he chuckled.

“Oh, I think you do, Eden. Why don’t I see for myself.” He slipped one long finger inside me and leaned close. I could smell myself on his breath when he purred, “You are so fucking beautiful when you come on my face, baby girl. And you taste like my own personal nectar.”

Goddammit. He was right. I liked the hell out of that, and my pussy did too, clamping down around his invading finger.

But he wasn’t done with his little test. He curled his finger forward, stroking my G-spot. Then he added another finger, the fit snug as he fucked and rubbed me from the inside, his intense gaze burning into my own. When he picked up the pace and added his thumb to my throbbing clit, I could feel another climax coming on, heat radiating outward from my core.

“Come again for me, Eden. Like a good fucking girl.”

Yeah, that did it. My second orgasm shuddered through me, not as intense as the first one, but it was still so satisfying. “Damn you, you smug ass,” I whimpered, my head lolling back as my body went limp.

Then Dane surprised the crap out of me by lifting the vibrator and running his tongue up and down the velvety purple surface. His brown eyes held mine as he licked around the head. “I don’t want to waste a drop of you,” he explained before opening his mouth and taking the fake dick inside. With closed eyes, he moaned around it.

Dear god.

“Have you done that before?” I asked, my eyes locked on his full lips around the girth of the toy. It was strangely arousing.

After an incredibly deep suck that I was surprised didn’t gag him, he pulled it out with a pop. “A real dick or a vibrator?”

“Either?”

“No to both,” he answered. “Guys aren’t my thing, and I’ve never had the urge to suck a fake cock either. But then again, I’ve never come across a vibrator that’s been inside my wife either.”

Someone just stop the world and let me off. Seriously, the things that came out of this man were next level.

“Thank you for… all that,” I said awkwardly. Was that weird? Thanking him for making me orgasm?

“All in a day’s work,” he said cheekily. “Feel better?”

I nodded, dragging my hands down his body until I reached the very prominent erection that was barely contained in his briefs. “But I don't think you do. Want me to help with this?”

“Yes,” he hissed, almost before I’d finished asking.

“What do you want?”

Dane cupped my face and pressed his lips hard against mine.

“I want you, Wildcat. On your knees.”