High Score (21 page)

Jerry and Hank piled into the front seats. Bud opened the back door to peer inside. The small space taken up by Thor and Shelley in their close embrace left two-thirds of the seat open.

“Climb in, guys, and let’s go,” Thor ordered.

Greg and Bud joined them in the backseat. It was a tight fit.

Thor craned his neck to watch as a stream of people poured out of the church. “Hit it, Jerry! They’re hot on our trail.”

“Aye, aye, boss.” Jerry floored the gas pedal. The Suburban swerved away from the curb with a squeal of tires.

Greg and Bud nearly doubled over, hooting with laughter.

Hank turned his head to wink at Shelley. “I’ve always wanted to rescue a damsel in distress.”

Bud held his palm up and Hank accepted the invitation to do a high five. “In the name of love, eh, chaps?”

“In the name of love!” Bud grinned cheekily at Shelley. “Did we do the right thing?”

“Yes, thank you very much!” She smiled at one and all with gratitude in her heart.

Thor nuzzled her ear. “I’m sorry if we embarrassed you.”

“Hey, I was afraid I was going to have to faint or froth at the mouth to gain a reprieve. What you did was dignified compared to what I was preparing to do. In fact, it was the bravest, most noble deed I’ve ever seen.”

“I don’t know about that,” Thor said, “but I’m relieved you’re not mad at me.”

“Where to now, boss?” Jerry glanced back via the rearview mirror.

“You better drop me and Shelley off at my house. Then you all can make yourselves scarce. My woman and I are going to spend the afternoon making sure I was telling the truth back there. A lie told in church can reserve a place for you in hell, you know.”

“Your place it is, then.” Jerry turned left at the intersection.

“That is, if Shelley is in agreement,” Thor added.

“I am, I am.” She snuggled against his chest, already anticipating a skin-to-skin encounter.

“What?” Hank laughed. “You’re not going to worry about safe sex anymore?”

“Wouldn’t be the first time we slipped up,” Thor admitted, “as if it’s any of your affair.”

A thrill zinged through Shelley at the thought of deliberately forgoing condoms. She’d had sex both ways, and Thor’s naked shaft was infinitely more exciting. That’s when she realized how much she loved danger and living on the edge, as long as it was with him.

“When do you plan to tie the knot, then?” Bud asked.

Thor grinned at Shelley. “As early as tomorrow morning, if she says the word.”

She shook her head. “I need a few weeks to make it up to my folks and my friends. They’re probably very disappointed in us. Can’t blame them really.”

Thor looked over at Bud. “Guess we’ll have wait ‘til the lady picks the right day.”

Hank faced forward. Bud concentrated on his driving. Silence fell, as though everyone was mulling over what they had just done.

Shelley’s head was still spinning, but not from dread and fear. Sheer relief opened her lungs to full, deep breaths of air.
God, what a close call!
How could she have allowed herself to come so close to ruining her life? Thankfully, Thor had saved her from the results of a disastrous mistake.

In the close quarters, his face was inches from her own. If his expression was any indication, he was still marveling over what had happened. She imagined disbelief was prominent in her own expression.

To some extent, she felt sorry for Dickie, left standing at the altar. Certainly, betrothals should be taken seriously, but it seemed to her that common sense should rule. Until a bride said her vows, nothing was binding. She had the right to change her mind, didn’t she? In fact, if she sensed the union wasn’t right, she was obliged to back out. Why had that been so hard for her to comprehend? It all seemed so clear to her now.

Even if Thor hadn’t been waiting in the wings, she should have broken her engagement the moment she realized Dickie was not for her.

The Bad Boys chauffeured them through town with more than one sniggering jest. Thor smiled indulgently, taking their guff like a good sport. Shelley fell victim to a fit of giggles over their silliness and released more tension than half a year of therapy could have done.

She wiped tears of laughter from her eyes. “I love you guys, every one of you!”

“Likewise, my dear,” Hank said. “I think I speak for all of us when I say you can call on us anytime you need a helping hand. If this big jerk doesn’t treat you right, we’ll pummel him into a doormat for you. All you have to do is snap your fingers, and we’re there.”

After pulling to a stop before Thor’s house, Jerry leaped out and ran around to open the back door of the vehicle. He assisted Shelley out of the car like a dutiful footman.

Thor climbed out behind her and clapped Jerry on the shoulder. “Thanks, man.”

Peering into the car, Thor thanked the others, too. “Thank God, I can count on you guys when I need a swift kick in the butt.”

Bud ginned. “You treat Shelley right or we’ll really kick your butt!”

Jerry returned to the driver’s seat, and started the engine. The Suburban roared out onto the highway, arms waving from every window and final salutations drifted on the air.

As soon as Thor closed the front door of his house behind them, he pulled Shelley into his arms. “It may seem hasty, sweetheart, because we haven’t known each other very long. So you take as long as you want to get used to the idea of spending your life with me. I’ll be here.”

He bent to kiss her, and she met him halfway.

When he came up for air, his hand dropped from her waist. “But just so nobody makes the mistake of thinking you’re available, I’d like you to have this.” He dug into his jeans pocket.

“What is it?”

He withdrew a ring with a large diamond flanked by smaller ones and slipped it on her finger.

“Oh, Thor! It’s lovely!”

“It belonged to my mother. She left it to me.”

“I’ve never seen anything so beautiful!”

“Does it fit?”

“Almost perfectly!”

“We can have it sized. Then I don’t want you taking it off—at least in public. I want the whole world to know you’re mine.”

“That’s fair.” She held the ring up to the light and gloried in the way it sparkled. “However, before I can accept your proposal, we have a few things to settle.”

“Like what?”

“For one thing, how are we going to handle you being out of town for months at a time?”

“You’ll come with me. It’s as simple as that.”

“What about my job?”

“Your job?” He pondered that a moment. “How thrilled are you about taking phone calls and doing paperwork at the dealership?”

“Not all that thrilled, but—”

“I can support you, Shelley. And I hope you’ll give yourself permission to stay home and raise the baby yourself. I’d hate to have others raise my child. A babysitter now and then is okay, but permanent day care? I’m not so sure about that.”

“Aren’t we getting ahead of ourselves? If I’m not even pregnant—”

He picked her up in a swirl of lace and satin, and threw her over his shoulder. “You’ll have a better chance of that if you wriggle your sweet self down on my cock regularly—like maybe three or four times a day.” He headed toward the bedroom. “Now would be a good time to start our new regimen.”

Bouncing helplessly over his shoulder, she couldn’t prevent his free hand from wandering. Already, it had plowed under her dress and was busy investigating the bare flesh above her garters.

“And there’ll be some rules,” he continued. “You might as well dispense with panties and underwear altogether. It will save time, since I’ll be stripping you down to the skin every few hours.”

As he tossed her down on the heaving waterbed, Shelley thought she had never been so happy.

“Two minutes,” Thor said, unbuckling his belt and pulling it out of the loops on his pants.

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve got two minutes to get naked and let me show you how much I love you. I want to pay homage to every part of your lovely body. When I thought I’d lost you for good, I remembered all the things I wanted to say to you, all the things I wanted to do, but hadn’t gotten to yet.”

She kicked off her heels and tore off her veil. “I think we should celebrate escaping a very close call.”

Thor grinned as he shed his shirt. “I’m at your service.”

“I’m glad to hear you say that,” she said, stripping off her jewelry. “Because today, I’m calling the shots. If we’re to be married, you have to grant me equality. It’s my turn now. This time you’re going to be
my
sex slave.”

“Ah, baby. You’re a woman after my own heart, that’s for sure.”

“You say you want to pay me homage. That means you have to treat me like a queen today.”

“’Twill be my pleasure, Milady.”

Grinning, she pulled up her skirt. “First you may remove my blue garter. With your teeth. On your knees now.”

Slowly, he sank to a kneeling position on the floor at the foot of the bed. His delighted expression looked anything but humble.

She scooted closer to him.

He obediently ducked his head under her skirt. His hair was soft as silk on the bare skin above her hose. His bristling cheeks and chin prickled her tender flesh.

“You’re to take no liberties without permission,” she insisted. “Only the garter for now, slave.”

One by one, he also removed her sheer stockings, her panties, and her bouffant underskirt—all with his teeth and nothing else. After that, she forced him to strip down completely. She tied his wrists and ankles to the bedposts with the ugliest ties hanging in his closet and rode him for a while with her skirt spread over and around him like a white lacy mantle.

Before he had a chance to come, she stopped and switched to another game.

He groaned in protest, but she could tell he loved that sort of torture.

“You’re not going to get naked?” he asked.

“A girl doesn’t get to wear a dress like this very often. It makes me feel sexy. Especially when I’m not wearing anything underneath.” She untied him, wanting to enjoy some action on his part. “It also gives me that sense of dignity required by royalty.”

“I see.” He assumed a kneeling position beside the bed. “How may I serve you now, my queen?”

She lay back on the bed with a sigh. “I want you to give me head. My pussy has been neglected far too long.”

“Your wish is my command.” He reached for the hem of her dress.

Within moments, she was writhing and panting and begging him for release.

He lifted his head from his feasting. “Now may I penetrate you with my aching cock and bathe your womb with semen repeatedly until you beg me to stop?”

Mini-contractions between her legs told her that would be a delicious next course. “Let me think about that…okay, I’ve thought about it. Fuck me! Hard and fast and wild!”

He pounced on her like a graceful catamount and, in one smooth motion, impaled her on his shaft. “I have to confess…” he gasped. “I
want
you to have my baby.”

“I want that, too!” She spread her thighs wider.

He shoved his unprotected cock up to the hilt inside her.

She felt as vulnerable as she ever had in her life. “Give me a baby, Thor!” She bucked under him.

“Coming! Oh, God, God, God!”

Cum spurted in a powerful discharge, filling Shelley with warm fluid. Overwhelmed with sensations, she climaxed shortly after him. The spasms racked her body for several exquisite moments.

“Oh, Thor, I love you so much!”

“Not half as much as I love you! Promise me you won’t let anyone come between us, ever.”

“I promise, my darling. I couldn’t live without your loving.”

“Oh, you have nothing to worry about there. You’re going to get a lot of loving. That’s my promise to you.”