“Holy cow, you’re huge!” I slapped my hand over my mouth. The words had escaped. No reeling them in. How could a man be hard so soon after ejaculating? He smirked and wiped his semen from my heated skin. He was tender and thorough and didn’t seem to mind that I stared at his hard-on or that I trembled every time he touched me. I think he enjoyed it.
When I was clean and dry, he disposed of the towels and pulled on a pair of black sweat pants he’d retrieved from his duffel bag. I scooted under the blankets and held them open for him to slide in. I hoped like hell he wouldn’t turn me down.
He didn’t.
As if we’d been lovers for years, he pulled me against his chest and snuggled right in.
“I’m sorry about your friend,” he whispered.
“Thank you.” An elephant made a lounge chair of my chest. Worry seeped through the sex haze invading my brain. I didn’t know if Jacob had any family nearby. Was anyone with him at the hospital? We talked almost daily, but I knew little about his personal life. Our conversations had centered around me, and he had always changed the subject when I did any digging.
Shit. Did I know anything other than he was a widower and retired bookstore owner? I rarely entered his apartment. When I did, it was only to wait inside the front door.
“I have to see how Jacob is. What hospital did they take him to?” I asked, ashamed that I’d been so wrapped up in my own selfish bliss that I hadn’t checked on him.
Franklin sighed. “He’s in good hands. We’ll call first thing in the morning, okay?”
I lay down and Franklin pulled me back into his safe embrace. How had I ever slept without the comfort of his arms?
“What are we doing, Franklin?” I asked, hoping to hide my insecurity.
“Spooning.”
I laughed. That word did not belong in his vocabulary. It was too fluffy for his deep voice and daunting physical form.
“Come on, I’m trying to be serious,” I huffed. “This isn’t me. I don’t do hook-ups. I don’t do one night stands.”
He squeezed me tight. “I know, Tate. I know that’s not who you are. Do you feel safe right now?”
“Yes.” I did, physically and emotionally.
“Then that’s what we’re doing. Tonight, I’m keeping you safe.”
That was good enough for me.
Chapter 6
Wallace cackled and flashed his five-hundred-dollar shade-of-white smile at the waitress. Miss Bleach Blonde bent to whisper something in his ear and nearly spilled her saline-stuffed double-D’s over his shoulder in the process.
I watched from my perch across the street. He slid a hand up the back of her thigh and rested it below her left butt cheek. He thought no one would notice, but I did. I also witnessed the dark blush spread across her face.
Poor little fool.
I wiped sweat from my brow, aimed, and pulled the trigger. “Eat lead, asshole,” I whispered.
Dead on.
The bullet entered above his right eyebrow and embedded itself in the cement column directly behind him. The waitress screamed and dove to the ground. I stood, held the muzzle to my lips, and blew the smoke away.
“Good shootin’, sugar.” A hearty gentleman patted me on the back as he passed.
“Thanks. I’ve been practicing.” I smiled and twirled the small pistol around my index finger before tucking it back into the holster strapped to my right hip.
Morning came too soon. I rubbed my eyes open, took in the unfamiliar surroundings and wrestled a surge of panic. My bearings took a few minutes to catch up with me. Mr. Reed was nowhere to be found, and empty frigidness hovered where his body should’ve been. Was last night a dream?
I gathered my clothes and made the walk of shame to my bedroom. I needed a long hot soak in the tub.
No. Coffee, then a good scrub.
Uh-uh. Shower first. There might be a super sexy stud waiting for me. I’d rather jump out the window than greet him with morning hair or breath. How could I face him at all? How could I share an office space with him after last night?
I took my time. Let the hot water soothe aching muscles, tense from the stress of finding Jacob nearly dead and sore from the exertion of the mind-blowing orgasm. Jeez, I’d never have to work out if I kept Franklin around.
I was about to turn off the water when the shower door slid open, then closed. A heavy hand splayed across my abdomen, yanking my rear against an erection that begged for attention. A sharp nip on my ear and hot breath on my neck set my skin ablaze.
“Fuck, I can’t keep my hands off you,” he groaned, and pulled me tighter against him, roping one arm around my waist and the other across my breasts. Instinctively I arched, savoring the weight of his arm on my chest and the evidence of his arousal on my backside.
“Then don’t,” I managed to utter.
Franklin trailed kisses across my jaw, down my neck, and across my shoulder. With adept hands, he massaged my breasts, rolled the peaks between his fingers, rubbed his hardened sex across the slickness of my butt.
“Last night was torture,” he mumbled through gritted teeth. I turned to find him staring down at me, his desire radiant through heavy lids. “All I could think about was ravishing you.” His tongue rolled across his bottom lip and a crooked smile, full of hellfire, made an appearance just before he crushed his mouth to mine.
It dangled on the verge of painful, the way he claimed me, stole my breath, crushed our bodies together. My blood, my skin burned. I kissed him back. Hard. Hungry. Greedy. I was a lucky girl. For one more moment, this beautiful creature was mine. This beast of a man could eat me alive, and I would let him. No more worrying about tomorrow. I wanted more of him. However I could get it.
He kissed me until my lips ached, then moved to my chest and worshipped my breasts with fervent discipline. I moaned when he drew a nipple into his mouth and sucked. He groaned in response.
Blood pounded through my body with a thunderous intensity. My insides throbbed, clenched, begged for mercy. As if attuned to my need, he plunged two fingers deep between my legs, found my entrance and penetrated me. He pulled them out, massaged between my legs, and slid them back in.
“You’re so tight. So fucking perfect.”
Franklin knelt, guided my leg over his shoulder, and with master skill, worked me into a carnal frenzy. With his fingers deep inside me, Franklin Reed did things with his mouth I didn’t know were possible. I came with such intense shudders, my leg collapsed beneath me.
Solid arms held me steady until my brain and muscles reconnected. He helped me stand and pinned me to the wall, clasping my hands above my head. I was sure he could read the shock on my face when he pushed his erection between my legs, grazing the sensitive tissue he’d just ravished.
Lips lowered to mine, he asked, “Trust me?”
Like I had a choice. No way was I strong enough to fight him off if I didn’t. No way did I want him to stop whatever he had planned. I was no longer in my own head. My body and brain had disconnected. I was a puppet and Franklin pulled the strings.
He kissed the corner of my mouth, then moved to whisper in my ear. “I can’t wait to bury myself in you. Claim every bit of that sweet pussy and make it mine. Fill you until there’s absolutely nothing between us.” He forced his erection deeper between my legs. I ground my pubic bone against the thickness.