Page 38 of Smoky Mountain K-9

Carter’s hands shot out to grip her waist. He backed her toward the wall. “We’ve got time for fast and hard.” His mouth crashed onto hers.

Mara’s resolve fled, and she thrust her hands into his hair. He found the zipper on her jacket and pulled it down. She flapped her arms, freeing herself. As soon as the coat hit the ground, he lifted her, pressing her to the wall, his hands under her thighs. Mara groaned and wrapped her legs around his waist.

His mouth left hers to travel down her neck. “I like that you wore a skirt. Easy access.” His fingers drifted around her leg to run along the edge of her panties. He dipped a finger beneath, making her groan again.

She ground against his hand. “Don’t tease me. Fast and hard, remember?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He removed his hand. Gripping her hips, he turned, heading for the living room.

“Where are we going?” She figured he would just take her against the wall. They’d done that several times already.

“You said you wanted to ride me like your horse.” He stopped in front of the couch and lowered her feet to the floor. Stepping out of her arms, he reached for his belt.

Mara heard the clink of his belt buckle, then the soft rasp of his zipper coming down. Heat made her body flush as she watched him lower the zipper, then remove his pants with one swift tug.

A wicked smile lifted up one corner of his mouth. “Your turn.” He reached beneath her skirt and hooked his fingers in her panties, pulling them down her legs.

She stepped out of them, then put a hand in the center of his chest and pushed. He plopped onto the couch, and she followed him down, straddling his waist.

His hands grasped her hips, holding her over him. The tip of his shaft teased her entrance. “You ready?”

She offered him a jerky nod, wiggling her hips. “Yes,” she said, voice breathy.

The word was barely out of her mouth when he thrust up, impaling her. Mara let out a sharp shout of pleasure at the invasion, but only took a moment to recover before she did exactly what she said she wanted to and rode him like her horse. Hips moving in time to his thrusts, he brought her to the brink. When she neared the top, he lifted the hem of her sweater, pushing it and her bra out of the way to latch onto her nipple. It was enough to send her soaring. With a loud cry, her orgasm crashed over her, spreading goosebumps along her body in waves. Pleasure pricked her scalp and made her ears ring. Vaguely, she heard his harsh grunt and felt a soft bite on her breast as Carter’s climax hit.

Boneless, she collapsed against his chest, struggling to catch her breath.

“I think I’m jealous of your horse. He gets to have you ride him every day.”

Mara giggled and lifted her head. “You’re much more fun to ride.”

“Good.” His hands, which still held her hips, rose to stroke her back.

A thought hit her, and in her pleasure-soaked brain, she didn’t stop to think about it. “We should talk about how we can make doing that every day a reality.”

His hands stilled. Mara felt him twitch within her. Her desire stirred again.

He raised a hand, settling it on the side of her head and raising her face so he could look at her. She smiled at him, not taking back the words. She wanted more of this. More of him. And that meant something about their relationship needed to change.

“What do you mean? How?”

“I think we need to talk about seeing each other more frequently. I know we have dinner or go do something together a couple times a week, but I—” Nerves hit her suddenly. Putting the thought into words was a lot different than just thinking it. “I think we need to spend our evenings together when you’re not working. Either here or at your house. And on the days you have to work nights, maybe have lunch. Or breakfast. I want more than a couple dates a week.”

His thumb stroked her cheekbone as he studied her, his face expressionless. Mara cursed his military and police training. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking. The clamminess on her palms from earlier came back, but she refused to wipe it off. Partly because neither of them were wearing pants.

“I think I like that idea. There have been several nights where I wanted to come over and didn’t. I didn’t want to move things too fast. I know this is your first real relationship since your husband died, and I didn’t want to pressure you into anything.”

Warmth flooded Mara’s veins at his thoughtfulness and made her heart swell. She framed his face in her hands and kissed him. Gentling her touch, she lifted her head. “Thank you. And just so you know, there’s no need for you to feel like we’re moving too fast. You’ve thoroughly blown past whatever reservations I had about being in a relationship again. I will always hold a special place in my heart for Blake, but I’m ready to move on. And that’s because of you.”

He tipped his chin forward and kissed her again, then groaned as he pulled back. “Now I really wish we hadn’t committed to this dinner. I want to continue this”—he thrust his hips up, making Mara gasp—“in the bedroom. And I don’t have hard and fast in me again just yet. It’d have to be long and slow.”

She moaned and let her forehead rest against his. “Later. For sure.” With one last roll of her hips, she rose, separating them. On shaky legs, she walked over to her panties and picked them up. From the corner of her eye, she watched him get up and grab his pants. It pained her to watch him cover up when all she wanted to do was strip everything off. Dinner would be quick, she vowed.

Twenty-Two

Carter rattled the change in his pocket as they waited to be seated at the restaurant. Despite their little interlude, they were the first ones to arrive.

The door opened behind him, and he glanced back to see Ben holding the door for Gemma. She saw him and waved, a pretty smile on her face.