Authors: Emily Ryan-Davis
She took a step back and Hunter braced his hand against the wall beside the open bathroom door. Tilting his head, he stared at the ceiling. Kat didn’t linger to watch him. Figuring she’d pushed enough for one night, she took his command for what it really was—an effort to divert her attention so he could collect himself. While it killed her to walk away, she turned around and moved deeper into the room.
Typical of chain hotels, this room was furnished for adequate comfort. The large bed was draped with a floral bedspread, its maroon-and-gold tones complementing the beige lamp shades that occupied the flanking nightstands. A round table and two chairs occupied the far corner of the room and a television sat atop a bureau directly opposite the bed. As she passed between the bed and the television on her way to the room’s thermostat controls, she heard the bathroom door close with a quiet click.
“Well, that didn’t go according to plan.” Muttering to herself, Kat shifted the heavy curtains and adjusted the heat. Within moments, the chill was gone from the air. In the bathroom, Hunter started the shower. Kat removed her boots and crossed back to her carry-on, which he had deposited at the entrance.
When she drew abreast of the bathroom door, she hesitated, wondering if she should join him. One ginger twist of the knob demolished that idea. He had locked her out.
Emotions churning, Kat grabbed her overnight bag and took it back to the bed. She hadn’t packed any nightclothes, as she had assumed Hunter would keep her busy for the first part of the evening and warm her with his body the rest of the night. At that moment, she would have given her left arm for a long baggy T-shirt to hide behind. A high-necked floor-length flannel nightgown would have been even better.
Realizing the dark path her thoughts had taken, Kat shoved her carry-on onto the floor and jerked back the covers. The locked bathroom door could have a million meanings, or no meaning at all. With the shower still running, she pulled the Sugar bag out of her purse and climbed onto the bed. The white sheets felt stiff against her skin but smelled cleaner than clean. She tucked the top sheet across her breasts and under her arms, found an adult pay-to-view channel on the television and dumped the contents of the bag onto her lap.
After removing the cellophane seal from tube of lubricant and a bottle of silicone-safe toy cleaner, she unwrapped the box that held the anal dildos she had chosen specifically for Hunter. She’d had a difficult time finding exactly what she wanted in toys suitable for a reluctant beginner, but a helpful clerk at the Hampden boutique had steered her toward this set of two slim black phalluses. She put the larger toy aside. Hunter would literally turn tail and run if she tried to initiate him with that one. The bigger dildo wasn’t any more substantial than Liam’s cock, but even Kat acknowledged that the dark silicone rod looked intimidating all on its lonesome.
Erring on the side of hopeful, Kat carefully cleaned the smaller toy with the sanitizing solution and a soft cloth she’d found in the box for that purpose. When the shower shut off, she tucked the cleaned dildo and the lube under her pillow and crammed the packaging back into the bag. As she twisted to stuff the bag of trash into the nightstand drawer, her thighs rubbed together and she gasped out loud. She’d been so intent on her concerns that she’d mentally lost the thread of arousal, but her body hadn’t gotten the message. And now that she turned her focus inward again, her clit pulsed in response.
She heard the shower curtain rings clatter and closed her eyes, consulting her memories of him wet and steam-flushed in her bathroom at home. She’d once stretched up on tiptoe to lick a droplet of water from his nipple. His cock had thickened instantly, filling and stretching against her belly. Her palms itched to cradle his hardness between her hands.
The doorknob rattled and Kat snapped to attention. Unsure what to expect when Hunter walked out of the bathroom, she drew the sheet back up to her breasts and bit her lip, waiting.
He emerged naked, fully erect, his cock jutting away from his body as he approached the bed. Greedy for the sight of him, she took a shameless eyeful, lingering at his muscle-corded thighs and the thatch of dark, damp hair curling over his heavy testicles.
Hunter’s strangled cough wrenched her gaze up to his face. He jerked his head at the television. “Porn?”
She couldn’t help it—she grinned at his incredulous expression. “I’m a fan. Aren’t you?”
Wrapping one hand around his dick, he aimed it in her direction and raised his eyebrows. “Do I look like I need porn tonight?”
“I thought you might appreciate the comic relief later.” Not mentioning her personal relief, she grabbed the remote and clicked off the TV before patting the bed beside her. “Come play with me. I brought toys.”
His nostrils flared and the flat plane of his stomach rippled with tension, even though he didn’t move otherwise. Kat held her breath, waiting for him to commit.
“Let’s see what you’ve got,” he finally said. “How do you want me?”
Mouth suddenly dry, Kat curled her toes beneath the blankets before pushing them down to the foot of the bed. “Grab a towel from the bathroom first.”
He gave her a long, probing look before he turned and went back to the bathroom. Kat watched him retreat, her gaze drawn to the tattoo that covered the scars on his back. Unlike the first time she’d seen the inked insignia of combat boots, rifle and helmet that marked his skin from hip to shoulder, she found herself admiring the visual representation of his military service and the losses he honored. Hunter was a man who did what needed doing, whether he feared the task or relished it.
God, that was such a turn-on.
* * *
Hunter was gone fewer than twenty seconds. He returned to the bed and tossed the towel onto the mattress in front of Kat, who no longer reclined against the pillows. Now she knelt with her hair pushed behind her ears, falling down her back and baring her gorgeous body to his view. He admired the view but made himself face the truth: it wasn’t the sight of her tits that had his dick hard and his balls aching.
He couldn’t count how many times he had replayed that encounter with Kat in the shower, fisting his cock while reliving the sensation of her exploring his ass. The issue hadn’t come up again before the night on Tighlman Island, but not because Hunter rejected the idea. Tonight, he was almost relieved that Kat was finally venturing across that line again. Looking at her, all hot eyes and hard nipples, her thighs pressed together as if to contain the wetness he knew flowed between her legs, he was dying to know what she had planned.
Jerking his chin at the bed, he asked, “How do you want me?”
She dragged her tongue across her lips, slowly. Torturously. Jesus. He wrapped his hand around his dick and squeezed.
Kat homed in on his crotch and smiled. Hunter narrowed his eyes at the unmistakable look of an idea forming in her head.
“Try not to kill me tonight, kitten,” he rasped, his voice already thick with need. How the fuck was he going to last the night?
Her smile changed, muting to something mysterious. She lifted her gaze to his and gestured at the towel. “On your back. The towel’s for your lower body. I don’t want to sleep on a lube spot.”
“Ha. Funny.” He didn’t need the jokes, but as he settled on the bed and lay back, he appreciated the thought she gave to his comfort. And hell if, once he was flat on his back with his dick stabbing straight into the air and no solid floor beneath his feet, he did suddenly need her comic relief. The sense of vulnerability overwhelmed him, kicked his pulse into overdrive, until Kat rose up on her knees beside him and smoothed her hand over his chest.
“You have got to relax. Look at me.” She stroked his stomach like he was a favorite pet, her touch gentle but firm.
Hunter tore his focus from the white space of the ceiling and met her eyes. There was nothing like the power of a direct stare, and even though Kat’s gaze was softer than any CO glare Hunter had ever encountered, he found himself easing into his leader-follower comfort space. “Sir, yes, sir,” he quipped.
She fought her smile but he could see it pulling at the corners of her eyes.
“This is serious,” she said, mock-stern, and she pressed her nails gently into his abs. “Okay? If you’re all tense and uptight, I’m going to hurt you. I don’t want to hurt you.”
He caught her wrist and pulled her down to him. Kat landed in a sprawl across his chest, her lips inches from his mouth. Her tight little nipples seared his chest. Releasing her arm, he skimmed his fingers over the outer curve of her breast and up her throat to cup her cheek. “Kitten, you’re not going to hurt me.”
She searched his eyes and finally gave a small nod. “Okay. Do you want me to tell you what I’m doing as I go, or do you just want to feel?”
“Talk. Your dirty mouth is a huge fucking turn-on.” His balls tightened just thinking about the way she could use her tongue.
Kat grinned and straightened. “Thank God. Silent sex is a drag. Raise your knees for me, and spread your legs so I can get between them.”
Every nerve in his body went on high alert. Determined not to pussy out, he did as she instructed. Cool air fanned his balls as he bent his legs and planted his feet wide. His ass tilted with the new arrangement, and in turn his cock angled toward his stomach. Even from his supine position, he could see the beads of precome glistening on the ruddy head.
Proving herself just as aware of his body as he was, Kat leaned over him and licked the moisture away with one—only fucking one—quick swipe of her tongue. He groaned and swallowed the urge to beg for her mouth.
“Strong and silent,” Kat said with a smile as she caught his eyes. “Don’t be too silent. I have good things to say about your dirty mouth too.”
“I’ll show you some tricks later,” he promised.
“Looking forward to it.” She reached under a pillow and pulled out two objects.
Hunter’s ass clenched at the sight of the slim black dildo with the slightly hooked tip. It couldn’t have been bigger around than his middle finger, and not much longer. He had an idea, but he asked anyway. “What the fuck is that?”
Calm in the face of his harsh question, she held up the toy so he could see it better. “It’s an anal dildo. It’s yours, part of a beginner’s set of two. The other one is bigger, but still not quite as big as...”
“Finish,” he said when she hesitated.
She bit her bottom lip but nodded. “The other one’s not as big as Liam’s cock. If you decide you want him to fuck you like this, I wanted you to have the means to experiment with the sensation, or to stretch yourself a little if you’re concerned about discomfort. Not that I think you’re afraid of a little pain, but I know this is all very different for you.”
He examined the phallic shape while she talked, making a mental note of the wide lip at the base of the dildo. Shit. Adult toy manufacturers thought of damn near everything.
“So you’re going to stick that in my ass,” he said when she trailed off.
“Well, ‘stick’ isn’t really the word I would use.” She placed the dildo and a tube of lubricant on his stomach and eased between his spread legs.
Hunter fisted his hands in the bedsheet. “You have a better word?”
Kat shrugged. The motion lifted her breasts and gave the creamy globes a little bounce. Her position created an illusion that his cock was jutting between her tits. Her pale flesh would look good clutched around his shaft, about as good as her ass cheeks looked when he sank between them. His balls tightened and he filed that physiological reaction away for another time, when Kat wasn’t on a mission to drive him fucking crazy.
“It’s important to relax as much as you can.” Her voice interrupted his stampeding fantasies. She stroked her palms down his thighs, starting at his knees and working the tense muscle until she framed his groin between her thumbs and forefingers. Her thumbs notched behind his sac, kneading the skin he never touched except to wash.
He was torn between watching her and screwing his eyes shut so he wouldn’t have to watch her. She studied his junk like she was enraptured by some kind of oil painting or something, and he suddenly knew why women squirmed when he took a good long look at their wet, pink folds. He had to redirect her for the sake of his sanity. Not to mention the sake of his staying power.
“Are you turned on right now, kitten?”
Her lashes flickered and she looked up. Her pupils were wide, telling him everything he needed to know even if she chose to keep something to herself.
Which she didn’t. “I’m so wet, my thighs are sticky. I really want to climb onto your cock right now but this is for you, not for me.”
That, he didn’t believe. “Not for you, huh?”
Her cheeks flushed. “Not
completely
for me.”
Figuring she was waiting for some kind of signal from him, Hunter took the bull by the horns and grabbed the dildo, offering it to her along with the lube. “Do it, Kat.”
“All right.” Her fingers brushed his as she took the items.
The sound of the lube cap flicking open seemed loud. Hunter released the sheet and took his aching flesh in hand. Kat glanced at his groin but didn’t say anything, so he started stroking himself.
She filled her palm with lube and mimicked his motion, running her hand down the dildo’s slim length. Hunter bit back a groan.
“When...if you do this with Liam,” she said, “you might want to stick to this position. I know doggy-style seems like the more natural stance, and this seems like giving up too much control, but Liam thinks this way minimizes the possibility of pain. In a way, it forces your partner to slow down and take better care.”
Her slippery fingers slid below his balls and into his crease. He sucked a sharp breath and clamped his fist around the base of his dick.
“Relax.” She murmured the reminder as she found his pucker with her fingertip.
“Kitten, I think this is as relaxed as you’re going to get,” he managed around the tingles of unnerving sensation that radiated away from her light touch.
She hummed her acknowledgment and bent her head over him. Her lips were inches from the head of his cock, rosy and parted as she concentrated. Hunter dug his feet into the mattress and dropped his hand back to the bed, fighting his body’s instinct to thrust up into her mouth.