Chapter Ten

Jovy was incinerating from the inside out. Never in her life had she wanted a man as much as she wanted Stone. Every kiss, every glance, every touch filled her with a fierce need and stoked the embers simmering since he’d given her that incredible orgasm that morning. She needed him naked and inside her, now.

As soon as he closed the door, she flicked on the light and tossed her purse on the kitchen counter. Before it even hit the granite, she found herself sandwiched between the wall and one hell of a hot cowboy while he kissed a path down her throat. Jovy moaned at the exquisite feel of his hard muscles pressing against her sensitized body. Then, oh…God, he rocked his erection against the part that ached for him most.

“I want you,” he growled against her skin while he tugged the strings at her hip. “I’ve wanted to do this all damn night.” He stepped back and slowly opened her dress.

She knew what he saw and tried not to be self-conscious about her slightly taller than average frame with breasts that were a little too big to contain in her black lacy bra, and hips a little too wide to cover in the matching bikini panty.

“Jovy.” His indrawn breath and the hunger darkening his eyes to a smoldering gray nearly made her knees buckle.

She pulled in another breath and basked in his approving gaze.

“You’re the sexiest damn woman I’ve ever seen,” he said, pushing the dress down her arms, and when it hit the floor, he ran his gaze up her body and motioned with a twirl of his finger for her to turn around.

Empowered by the need tightening his features, she did as instructed, smiling at his second indrawn breath, then squeaked when two callused hands cupped her ass. “So damn perfect. But why is the Phillie Phanatic swinging a bat at your ass?”

Crap. Her damn tattoo. She was going to kill her cousin. “I lost a bet.” She sighed, glancing at Stone from over her shoulder. “I hope it’s not a mood killer.”

“Hell no.” He grinned, wicked gleam in his eyes as he traced the tattoo with a finger. “I’m intrigued. Tell me about this bet,” he urged, placing hot, openmouthed kisses to her shoulder.

Damn, she needed him to stop that…never. “I-I…my cousin and I have always competed for things ever since we were young.”

“You can’t help it.” He kissed his way to a sensitive spot behind her ear…then licked.

Jovy sucked in a breath and palmed the wall in front of her. “Exactly,” she whispered, and crossed her eyes as they closed.

“Same with me and Brick.”

She could tell the brothers were just as competitive. It was a sibling thing, although for her it was a cousin thing. She opened her eyes and nodded. “But I bet you weren’t foolish enough to wager on a play-off game involving our rival teams, where the loser gets—”

“Let me guess, loser wears the winning team’s mascot on their ass.” He chuckled against her skin, then stilled. “Wait a minute. That means you bet against the Phillies?”

She scowled, still ticked off at a bad call that declared her team out while stealing home at the bottom of the ninth. “Hell yeah, I’m a Mets girl. If it weren’t for a bad call, they would’ve won that game and the play-offs. And Ross would have Mr. Met on his ass, instead of me stuck with this damn green thing.”

He drew back to trace her tattoo again. “You could always alter this.”

She inhaled. “You’re right. Got any suggestions?”

“Working on it. But for now, I’m working on something else.” Then those wonderful hands traveled around in opposite directions to stroke low on her hip and cup a breast at the same time. All the sensations from their morning ride flooded through her sensitive body. Breath hitched in her throat as her legs finally gave out.

“I’ve got you,” he said, then turned her in his arms and kissed her long and deep.

She loved his taste. Hot. Male. And hungry. Clinging to him while his hands ravished and mouth plundered, she’d never felt so wanted, so desired in her life. It was incredible. Heady. Liberating.

“Put your legs around me,” he ordered in a rough voice.

Once again, she did as she was told, and moaned as he carried her across the floor, the thick bulge in his jeans brushing her center until she saw stars. A few more feet and she was going to go off. But a second later her ass met the cold kitchen table. Jovy broke the kiss to squeak. She was going to have to clean the table tomorr—

All thoughts about the table disappeared from her mind when his lips returned to hers. Brilliant. Thorough. The Ranger cowboy was the best kisser ever. He slipped his fingers under her bra straps and pulled them down her arms before reaching around and unhooking with an expertise that left her breathless.

With his eyes smoldering, he broke the kiss, tossed the bra on the floor, and stared at her, swallowing as her nipples tightened under his scrutiny.

“Stone.” If he didn’t touch her soon she was going to die. Or hit him.

“So damn perfect.” He stroked just under the swell of her breast, sending shivers straight to her core. Taking pity on her he stroked higher, circling her breasts with the barest of touches.

She let out a frustrated groan and arched toward him.

He dipped down to kiss her cleavage. “Patience.” He chuckled against her skin. Then, thank the stars, he stopped circling and cupped each breast, covering an aching peak with his mouth while he pinched the other between his thumb and forefinger.

Jovy closed her eyes and moaned, pressing into his touch again, but all too soon he drew back.

“Like that?”

“Yes,” she practically whimpered, scooting closer to the edge, urging him to continue.

“Which one? This?” Hot breath hit her breast a second before he sucked her nipple into his mouth.

She grabbed his head and held tight, heat funneling through her veins so fast it made her dizzy. He was magic. Until he removed his mouth. Releasing him, she opened her eyes and clutched the edge of the table while the room righted itself.

“Or this?” His callused hand scraped over her other nipple, back and forth, back and forth, making her squirm before he finally captured her tight bud between his fingers.

“Which one?” he asked, switching sides.

She sucked in a breath, her body overloaded with sensations, heightened for some unknown reason. “Both,” she rasped, reaching out to lift his T-shirt so she could stroke his bare skin.

Have mercy, he was on fire, and so deliciously hard he quivered under her touch.

He grabbed her hand and stilled her movements. “Not yet. You first.”

“Me?” She reeled back. “I already got mine this morning. It’s your turn.”

“Exactly.” He trailed his fingers down her ribs, over the curve of her waist to hook them under the scrap of lace at her hips. “And I choose this.” With quick, precise movements, he tugged her panties to her ankles and maneuvered them over her strappy black heels before he dropped them on the floor by her bra.

She was naked except for the heels, while he stood there still fully clothed. It made her feel a little bit naughty and a whole lot sexy. Especially the way he devoured her with his dark, hungry gaze.

His jaw clenched and she watched his Adam’s apple bob. “Gorgeous.” He grasped her ankles, but instead of removing her shoes like she thought, he set her feet on the table and sucked in a breath. “So damn gorgeous.”

And he was so damn amazing. Where did he get the restraint? Ranger training? How was he keeping it together?

“Stone, you’ve got me so close to that edge, I swear all you’ve got to do is breathe on me and I’m going to snap.”

He leaned over her, gripping the table near her hands, and brought his face to hers. “I’ve got something much better than that for you.”

She smiled. “Yeah? Prove it.”

His indrawn breath cooled her heated skin. “Patience,” he repeated before kissing her stupid, and at the first stroke of his hand on her upper thigh, she broke the kiss and cried out.

But he didn’t seem to mind. He trailed kisses over her collarbone, down her breast, lingering on a nipple until she reached for his head and pressed close. As his lips ravished, his hands continued to stroke, moving ever so close to her center.

He released her nipple to trail openmouthed kisses down her ribs, over her belly, then to her hip where he nipped and licked until she closed her eyes and sighed. The man was pure genius. She hadn’t even known that was a spot. But it was with him. And she was still basking in the new sensations when he stroked a finger over her folds.

Jovy’s eyes flew open as she bucked.

“Easy.” He pressed down on her hip. “I’ve got you.” Smiling, he set a chair in front of her and sat down. Dear Lord, he wasn’t going to…

Before she could finish that thought, he tugged her to the very edge of the table and slung her legs over his shoulders. Her breath caught in her throat. Yes…yes, he was going to. “Just hang on and enjoy your second ride.”

It was on the tip of her tongue to complain it wasn’t fair to him when he set his mouth on her upper thigh and slid his finger inside. Jovy shuddered and closed her eyes; all thoughts of complaining left her head in a low moan. She’d never been touched quite like this—like he was on a mission and she was his mission. Finding what she enjoyed, the strokes, the pace, the angle. It was all about her, and she didn’t know how to handle it, until she opened her eyes and saw the joy and heat blazing in his eyes. The man got just as much pleasure from touching her.

“I don’t think you have any idea what you do to me,” he said when he drew back, gaze dark and glazed. “If touching you is a gift, I can only imagine what I’ll get out of tasting you.”

Before her mind computed his words, his mouth was on her, exploring her folds, lapping and sucking while his finger continued to drive in and out.

It felt so good. How? Why?

It wasn’t like her ex hadn’t done similar things to her…but this was different. Better. So much more. Currents raced through Jovy’s body, interrupting her pulse, messing with her temperature, fogging her mind, taking her to the edge where she felt everything at once and magnified.

Unlike that morning on the horse, this time Jovy was able to thrust and buck, and she did. Unashamed of her wonton movements, she gripped the table and met his pace with wild abandon.

Way more than she’d ever expected, sex with Stone was eye-opening. Being put first, worshipped, and teased to the point of madness. It was all new. She liked it. A lot. But the best part was that he got just as much enjoyment. If not more.

If that wasn’t the sexiest thing ever.

Her rapid heartbeat pounded away her breath. She couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t talk. Could only feel. And oh boy, could she feel. Fire flowed through her veins. Need pooled low in her belly. Tightness consuming her body. She was close. So deliciously close.

Stone lifted his head. “Come for me, Jovy. I want to taste you. Let go,” he urged in a rough, sexy tone, adding another finger at a steeper, higher angle.

She gasped. “Don’t s-stop.” Unable to hold her eyes open, she let them drift close and tipped her head back, lost in the sensations quivering through her body. She was on the verge of bliss.

And when his mouth closed back around her in a rhythm opposite of his fingers, she flew apart, bursting into a million pieces, calling his name in a low guttural tone she barely recognized as her own.

The bliss continued for several seconds, minutes…hours. Jovy wasn’t sure how long Stone prolonged her orgasm with his magical strokes, stretching her ecstasy until she ran out of strength and slumped back on the table, chest heaving, tremors still racking her body in tingling waves.

Holy smokes. She worked to get her pulse under control and eventually found the strength to open her eyes. Funny, her legs were still there, but she sure as hell couldn’t feel them. “Stone…what just happened?” She sucked in a few more breaths. “That was crazy.”

“Just crazy? Or crazy good?” He smiled at her while he stripped in quick, economical movements.

Dayam.

Her body woke up and quivered with a fierce round of need. “Crazy good,” she replied, lifting on her elbows to watch the show. Breath immediately clogged in her throat. The man was magnificent. His body was hard, everywhere. Muscles led to ridges and a sexy trail that cut through the center of a vee that had her mouth watering and pulse kicking up again. But it was the treasure at the bottom of the trail that stole her breath.

Big and thick and proud, his erection stretched toward her as if wanting to be inside her as much as she needed it to. “Damn, Stone…you take my breath away.” Heat rushed through her body, reigniting her desire, throbbing almost painfully as she watched him roll on a condom.

That was new. Jovy had never recovered this fast between rounds with her ex. Stone was different. Her mind recognized this, and now her body. She wasn’t sure what it all meant, only that it was something significant. And as scary as it was exciting.

…

Stone wasn’t going to last, especially with Jovy staring at him like he was a chocolate bar waiting to be devoured. He’d never survive if she put her mouth on him. Hell, he had no fucking idea how he’d lasted this long. All he knew was he’d had to taste her, and now that he had, it was time to drive inside her slick warmth and lose himself to the heaven he knew awaited.

Foreplay was over.

He took her hands and helped her slip off the table, loving the look of her standing naked in those sexy black heels. “Now, about that thank-you you started at the Beer and Steer…”

“Mmm…yes, I like where you’re going with this.” She pushed him down on the chair. “We’re finally both naked in my apartment. Well, except for these.” She placed her foot on the chair between his legs. “Shall I take them off?”

“No. Hell no.” He ran his hands up her calf, over her knee and thigh to settle on her hip as she swung a leg over him to straddle the chair. His dick pulsed in anticipation of the slick heat centered above him. But he didn’t want to hurt her, so when she gripped his shoulders and started to lower herself, he stopped her. “Wait. I need to make sure you’re ready.” He slid his hand between her thighs and slipped his finger inside. Ah hell, she was so warm and wet.

She sucked in a breath and squeezed his shoulders. “I’m beyond ready. Trust me. I need to have you inside. Now.”

As soon as he removed his finger, she started to lower again. This time, he held both her hips and guided her onto his aching erection. Stone wasn’t sure what he expected. He knew it would be good, but the mind-numbing ecstasy that nearly caused him to black out when she sank onto him had never crossed his mind.

Fuck. She felt good. Too good. His groan mingled with her cry of approval that echoed through her apartment. Hot. Slick. Silky. So damn silky. He held her still and closed his eyes, clawing his way back from the edge. Not yet. He needed to make this last longer than some pubescent teenager getting his rocks off for the first time.

But she was exquisite. Her walls hugged him tightly and without mercy. And heaven help him, she continued to slowly sink down, taking him in inch by mind-fucking-boggling inch.

“God, Jovy, you feel so damn good.”

When she didn’t respond, he opened his eyes to find hers blazing and dark with a desire that mirrored the fierce fire burning through his veins. She opened her mouth but nothing came out, so she nodded and started to move.

Ah, hell. She was killing him. “Jovy. Stop. I can’t hold on. Give me a minute.”

She shook her head and swallowed. “Now.” Her whispered breath washed over him as she leaned in, gorgeous nipples poking his chest while her wicked tongue darted out to lick his lips. “Fast. Hard. However you want.”

Stone groaned and grabbed the back of her head to angle her for better access as he plunged his tongue inside her mouth. Okay, she wanted fast and hard, he was more than happy to comply. He ran his free hand down her back, his mind registering the incredible feel of the suction of their bodies, flesh scraping flesh, heat rising over their skin as their pace increased.

Breaking the kiss, he fought to hang on, wanting to see everything he was feeling. God, she was beautiful. Her hair brushed her breasts bouncing wildly, while her fingernails dug into his shoulders as she rode him hard. Her eyes were glazed and hooded, and his heart stopped when a wicked smile curved her lips.

Unable to keep his mouth off her, he leaned forward to capture a gorgeous nipple in his mouth, tugging until she moaned.

“You feel good, Stone.” Her eyes drifted closed and she arched back, her mouth falling open.

She looked so fucking hot, taking what she wanted from him. Somehow, he found the restraint to hold on a little longer, wanting to prolong her pleasure. He lifted a hand to capture her other breast, rolling the tight bud between his fingers.

“I’m close.” She panted. “I need…”

Heat skittered down his spine while a telltale tightening rippled through his groin. He was close, too. Releasing her breasts, he trailed his hands down her quivering curves to grip her hips.

“Jovy. Look at me.”

She blinked her eyes open, and when her gaze cleared, he slid a hand between them to add pressure just above where they were joined.

Air hissed into her mouth. “Yes…Stone…” She clutched his shoulders, and he watched her fly apart again, bucking with such crazed abandon he lost his control.

Grasping her hips, he thrust up all the way into her quaking heat, calling her name as he came hard, losing his vision as her walls continued to milk his release long after he’d exploded.

Son of a bitch. What the fuck just happened? That wasn’t normal. It had gone beyond. Taking him down and bringing him back. Better. Stronger. More.

When she stopped bucking, she slumped against him, body spent, ragged breaths warming his neck. Tiny aftershocks rippled through her body, zinging straight into his.

Incredible.

He held her sweet ass in one hand while the other slowly caressed up and down her back, feeling her strength return with each shared heartbeat. His mind tried to make sense of what just happened, while his body didn’t care about specifics; it was grateful for the release. And holy shit, what a release. He was grateful his vision had returned, too.

After a few minutes, she drew back to stare at him, hair sticking to her damp temple and neck, lazy smile curving her sexy, swollen lips.

“Good thing we agreed to that no-touching rule.”

Stone laughed. Her humor was refreshing. Warmth spread through his chest and he relaxed, really relaxed, for the first time in well over a year. Hell, he didn’t think he’d ever felt this completely at ease in his adult life. He let joy shove some of the darkness from his soul.

“You’re something, you know that?” Lifting a hand, he gently pushed a strand of hair back from her face. “Really something.”

“Me?” She blinked at him, grin twitching her lips while her palms slid off his shoulders down to his chest. “You’re the one who’s magic.” Her fingernails scraped his nipples and his dick stirred back to life. “See? Magic,” she sighed, sliding her hips back and forth. “Stone?”

He leaned forward to kiss the curve of her neck. “Yeah?”

“Do you have another condom?”

Smiling, he nipped at her ear. “Yes. Three more. Thanks to the guys.” He owed them big-time.

“Oh?” Her hands stroked his abs, trailing deliciously lower.

“They shoved them at me when you disappeared into the bathroom at the bar.”

She moved back and smiled. “I grabbed two from the machine in that bathroom.”

A big grin split his lips. “Hopeful, were you?” He held her waist and brushed his thumbs over her belly.

“God, yeah,” she said, shifting back and forth on his lap.

He sucked in a breath and lifted her from his body, already heading to full tilt. “Hang on. I need to get one of those condoms.” He walked farther into her kitchen to grab a paper towel and dispose of the old one.

“I was wondering.” She held on to the table and removed her shoes one at a time. “Can I…uh…put in a request?”

A request? For sex?

His heart rocked against his ribs. “Sure.”

She had a demand. He loved that. Most women he’d been with had been happy to lie there and let him choose the location, position. Time frame. He was beginning to realize this wasn’t going to be the case with Jovy. It was almost as big a turn-on as her smoking body.

“I’ve never had shower sex. Well, um…not successfully.”

He raised a brow? “Define ‘not successfully.’”

“My ex kept slipping out.” She closed her eyes and shook her head as color flooded her face.

A swift shaft of emotion sliced through Stone at the thought of her having sex with another man. Which was stupid. They were adults. Both had a past. No reason to feel this burning in his gut.

“Anyway…” Her eyes reopened and she held his gaze. “I…uh…heard shower and up-against-the-wall sex works best if the guy is more like you.”

He raised a brow. “Like me?” Stone knew what she meant, and shouldn’t lead her on, but damn, she was adorable.

Jovy nodded, blush deepening as she pointed to his crotch. “Yes, in this case, size does matter. Uh…length, to be exact.” She sucked in a breath. “Or, so I’ve heard.”

He bent to retrieve a condom from his jeans on the floor, then stood. “I guess you’ll just have to test me, since you’re the one who experienced slippage during shower sex.”

A smooth shoulder lifted as she pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “Maybe it was me. I don’t know.”

Shit, he hadn’t meant to cause her self-doubt. “It definitely wasn’t you. You’re perfect.” He stepped right up to her, set the condom on the table, and slid his hands down her incredible curves. “So damn perfect it should be illegal.”

Then he crushed her close and kissed her, long and deep, loving the way she fit against him. Shower sex with her was sure to be amazing. There would be no crick in his neck when he bent down to capture a pert nipple in his mouth while he pounded into her hot flesh. Not the way her tall body lined up with his. No slippage for her, either. Anticipation heated his blood, and need took over. Mouth still on hers, he scooped her into his arms, and her startled gasp broke the kiss that had him hard and throbbing.

It was official. Stone had no control when it came to this woman. Not over his body or his heart. He wanted to make Jovy happy. Make her smile. Make her scream his name as she shuddered around him.

Shit. He needed to be inside her again.

“Grab the condom,” he ground out, grazing her jaw with his teeth, brain cells already starting to shut down. “Let’s go test that theory.”

And his strength.