Page 20 of The Locksmith’s Promise (The Promise Duet #1)

Pandora’s Box

M aggie

Spinning the lock on the door, he turned and stalked toward me.

“I’m not the same as I was,” I blurted.

“Maggie,” he muttered as he reached for the belt of my coat and gave it a sharp tug.

“I’m serious,” I gasped.

Moving in close, he pushed it off my shoulders and dropped it over the chair behind me before unwinding the silk scarf from around my neck. His big hands wrapped around my ribs, his thumb stroking my tattoo through the thin fabric of my dress.

Exhaling harshly, he tucked his face into my neck and tightened his grip. “I’m dying to explore every inch of you. Believe me, there is nothing you could show me that could turn me off now or ever.”

I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, pressed my face to his, and closed my eyes. Rubbing my cheek against the shadow on his jaw, I nodded.

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled my body flush to his.

“Maggie, Maggie, Maggie,” he chanted, his hands smoothing up and down my spine. “I’m not going to survive this.”

I huffed out a soft laugh. “Do you think you can hang on until you give me at least one orgasm?”

He drew back, a wide smile on his handsome face. “I’m aiming for two.”

Finding the zipper at the nape of my neck, his smile faded. Pinching it between his fingers, his hand trembled as he slowly drew it down and peeled my dress away from my body, caressing the key on my ribs with his thumb.

Holding my dress in one hand, he steadied me with the other wrapped around my naked waist. Dipping his knees, he lowered it to the floor.

As it dropped past my thigh-highs, he groaned roughly.

“Step out,” he demanded.

Knees quivering, I grasped his biceps and balanced on one high heel after the other as he freed me from the dress and tossed it on top of my coat.

Straightening, his hand drifted up the outside of my thigh, his thumb dipping under the edge of my panties at my hip as he gazed into my eyes.

“I don’t even know where to start,” he breathed.

I had no words. The worship in his eyes and the reverence in his hands rendered me mute.

His Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat as his eyes dropped to my chest. Hand shaking, he traced the lace edge of my lavender bra where it hugged the swell of my breast.

“Purple’s my favourite colour,” he murmured.

“I remember,” I replied, pressing my breast into his hand and catching his soft inhalation of breath.

“Baxter,” I murmured.

His eyes flitted up to mine, pupils blown wide, a tremulous half smile on his lips. “Yeah, baby?”

He wanted me. It was in his eyes, his touch, the breathy sound of his voice.

“I don’t have to worry,” I stated.

He shook his head, his tongue darting out to wet his lower lip. “You really don’t.”

The tension eased from my shoulders with a soft sigh. Dragging my palms up and down his arms, I explored the contours of his biceps and forearms through the stiff fabric of his dress shirt.

Touching the front clasp of my bra with the tip of his forefinger, he rasped, “Can I take this off?”

Voice husky, I assured him, “You can do anything you want.”

Those words sprung the lock on Pandora’s Box.

Palming my ribs, he yanked me forward and dropped his hot, hungry mouth to my breast, tonguing and tugging my nipple through the thin lace of my bra.

“Fuck, you’re sweet,” he growled.

Rougher than I expected him to be, I arched my back and dug my fingers into his arms at the shock of pleasure that shot straight through to my clit.

He fumbled at the clasp of my bra with one hand, humming around my nipple trapped in his hot mouth. Unable to open it, he yanked the cups down forcefully before cupping his hands around both globes, pressing them together as his mouth moved back and forth.

Knees weak, I snuck my hands up between us, opened my bra, and let it fall.

Humming with approval, he dropped to his knees and pressed a hot kiss to the promise inked on my ribs.

For a heart-searing moment, the memory of Jenny spread over his bed invaded my peace, but I pushed it back.

Moving forward together, there was no room for the sins of the past.

There was no room for any kind of coherent thought at all as his lips left a trail of fire over my ribs. I lurched forward when he dipped his tongue into my belly button before licking along the edge of my panties.

“I’m so fucking hungry for you,” he groaned.

Hands tight around my hips, he buried his face in my soft stomach and sucked in a harsh breath.

This big man I’d been in love with as long as I could remember, this man who’d been larger than life since he was a kid, trembled at my feet.

My hands fell to the back of his tawny head, tunneled into his hair, and held him as he pulled himself together.

“I wish,” he rasped, swallowing audibly. “I wish I’d seen you swollen with him.”

A small sob broke from my lips.

Sitting back on his heels, he dragged my panties down a couple of inches and traced the silver streams across my tummy with gentle fingers.

“Are these from him?” Looking up at me, his dark eyes snagged on my heavy, aching breasts before I could answer.

Reaching around, he filled his hands with my ass. “Maggie, baby, so beautiful.”

Slipping my panties down further, he pressed his face to the apex of my thighs and breathed deep. “I missed you, fuck, I missed you so much.”

My chest heaved. Pulling in a shuddering breath, I fought to steady myself. “I missed you too,” I admitted. “Every day, I missed you.”

Nodding against me, he pulled my panties down the rest of the way, steadying me with a hand at my lower back as I stepped free of those as well.

His palms dragged up the outside of my legs from my ankle to the top of my thigh where the lacy edge of my nylons halted.

With my pudgy thigh puffing over the top, I hadn’t planned on him seeing them from that angle. Especially not up close.

Wrapping his arms around my thighs, he pressed his hands to the insides and kneaded the plushy flesh at the top at the same time as his tongue snaked out and swirled over my clit.

“Baxter,” I gasped, legs shaking, imperfect thighs forgotten.

He moaned low in his throat, pressed his face closer, and licked every inch he could reach.

When my legs began to shake, I pushed his head away. “Come back up here.”

Leaping up, he wrapped his hand around the back of my neck and plundered my mouth.

I cried out at the force of his kiss and the erotic taste of my essence on his tongue.

Frantically yanking his shirt from his pants, my fingers danced over the buttons of his shirt as I flicked them open.

“My turn,” I uttered throatily,

Parting his shirt, I pressed my palms to the hard planes of his chest before dragging them down over his abdomen. My thumb traced the thin, dark brown line of hair dipping under his waistband.

His body, too, had changed. Thicker and more muscular with coarser hair dusting the hard muscles of his chest.

His head fell back. “Your hands feel too good on me, Maggie.”

Trailing my hand across his stomach, I pressed a kiss to his heart and circled behind him to drag his shirt off his back.

He followed me with his eyes, muscles tensing as his head swiveled to keep me in his sight as long as possible. “Maggie,” he began.

Running my hands over his shoulders, I grasped the two sides of his shirt and pulled it down and off, freezing at the sight that greeted me.

“Maggie,” he clipped, shoulders going rigid.

“It’s okay,” I murmured, pressing my lips to the centre of his back and fighting back tears. “It’s okay,” I soothed once more, controlling the tremor in my voice as I licked a path up his spine.

His head fell forward. This time when he said my name, he uttered it like a prayer.

Laying my cheek against his back, I reached around and opened his pants before diving under the waistband of his boxers and taking his thick length in hand.

“Maggie,” he called hoarsely, dragging his hips back to escape my eager fingers as he circled my wrist. Huffing out a soft laugh, he turned around and pushed his pants and boxers to the floor. “You’re going to ruin me before I even get inside you.”

A satisfied smile spread across my face.

Running his palm up the inside of my thigh, he said, “These are sexy, and they can stay, but my socks have to go.”

I laughed, reaching for him as he tore them from his feet and tumbled me onto the bed, moving down my body until his wide shoulders wedged between my thighs.

More than primed, the first touch of his tongue had me arching off the bed as fire raced along my nerve endings.

Crossing his forearm over my hips, he held me down and dipped his head, spearing me with his tongue before dragging it up to circle my clit. Alternating his strokes, he lapped up everything my body offered, coiling my pleasure tighter and tighter until it snapped.

His hands shot under me to cup my ass and lift my pussy to his face.

High heels digging into the mattress, I cried out his name and came in a flood of ecstasy.

Kneading my ass, he gently licked me through the aftershocks until my body quieted, and he made his way back up to my mouth, taking it fiercely before settling his hips into the cradle of my thighs.

Holding himself above me, his arms shaking, he panted, “Maggie, this first time is going to be quick, but I promise I’ll make it up to you.”

“Take what you need, baby.”

“Do I need a condom?”

“You do if you don’t want a baby,” I quipped.

He dropped his forehead to my shoulder, rolled his hips, and growled, “Don’t fucking tempt me, Maggie.”

My courage ran out. “Get a condom, Bax,” I urged. “Quick.”

Rolling off the bed, he opened his wallet and made short work of covering his cock before crawling back up between my thighs.

Spreading me wide with his knees, he notched the swollen head at my entrance. Eyes meeting mine, he asked softly, “Ready?”

He hovered over me, his large body a sensual shadow. I ran my hand over his back to cup his ass and prod him forward. “I’ve been waiting forever.”

Eyebrows drawn tight, muscle leaping in his jaw, he rolled his hips.

“Tight,” he hissed, his face contorting with effort.

I gasped at the feeling of fullness, utter peace washing over me as I ordered, “Keep going.”

Inch by inch, he slowly made his way inside me, not stopping until his pelvis rested flush against mine.

Hands in my hair, body shaking, he pressed and rolled his forehead against mine. “Maggie, Maggie, Maggie.”

Opening his eyes, he stared into mine. “I can’t hold on.”

“Don’t,” I urged, running my hands up and down his back to his ass. Pressing my nails into his flesh, I wrapped my leg around him and carefully dragged the high heel of my shoe up his leg.

“Aw, fuck,” he groaned, pulling back and fucking me deeply, eyes closed, lips pressed into a thin line as he fought for control.

I rolled my hips and clenched around him.

Groaning, he pushed up on his hands and thrust into me. Zero finesse, all power, grunting roughly as his cock swelled inside me.

Curling up, I wrapped my lips around his nipple.

With a guttural cry, he arched back and froze in place, his cock pulsing as he spilled his seed inside me.

And for just a moment I wished we’d foregone the condom that I might bring another little Baxter into the world.

That we might get a do-over.

Curling around me, he pressed his mouth to mine, once, twice, a third time, then carefully withdrew and padded into the bathroom.

Coming back out, he lifted first one foot, then the other, slipping my shoes off and setting them on the floor. Then, flopping onto his back on the bed, he wrapped his arms around me and hauled me into his side. “Come cuddle with me.”

Nestling my head against his chest, I traced the thin line on his lower abdomen that so utterly entranced me while he ran his fingers back and forth along the lace edge of my stockings.

“You probably shouldn’t do that until you’re ready for round two,” he murmured.

“Who says I’m not?” I teased.

He chuckled softly. “I’m not the young man you remember either, baby. I’m going to need more than thirty seconds to regroup.”

I sighed dramatically. “The downfall of dating an older man.”

“If your pussy hadn’t just sucked the life from my body, I’d make you pay for that remark.”

“I’ll take a raincheck,” I murmured, happy and replete, the man I loved more than life stretched out beside me.

We lay quietly, his breath evening out as my own body gently returned to earth. My mind drifted, lazily reliving every moment of the past hour.

My hand stilled. I splayed my fingers wide and smoothed my palm up his torso to press it over his heart. “Bax, what happened to your back?”

He stiffened, his hand pausing momentarily before carrying on. “I woke up like that the morning everything went to hell.”

Something wasn’t right. “Don’t you think you would have woken up no matter how drunk you were?”

He inhaled deeply, his wide chest rising and falling. “I think I’ve never been as happy as I am in this moment, Mags.”

He rolled me onto my back and wedged his hips between my thighs. “We have several far more important things to discuss.” Eyebrows wagging, he dipped his chin and looked at me from beneath his brow. “And not one of them requires words.”