“Where are we?” I looked around the wide open space. Trees lined the road we traveled down, opening up to a clearing with even more trees and bushes along the space. In the middle was a cabin. It was rustic and looked like it was built by hand, like one of those I had seen on the DIY shows I liked. It was lit up with lots of light casting a glow around the entire space, showcasing a beautiful deck that, from what I could see, looked as if it went around the entire home. Plants hung from the rafters of the porch, and old rocking chairs were a focal point along with a small table. It was nice. Secluded, but nice.
“My place.”
My breath caught in my throat as my nerves came on high alert, sending every one of them into electric overstimulation. I pulled my hands together in hopes of stopping the shaking, but it did nothing except pull attention to them as Lynx set his hand on mine.
“Babe, look at me.” His voice was calm and gentle, and my eyes went to his. “As soon as I unlock the door, I’m giving you my truck keys. At any time, if you feel you need to go, you go. But I ask that you talk to me before you take off.”
I let out the huge breath I hadn’t realized I was holding and nodded.
“That’s my girl. You have nothing to fear from me.”
My words came out whispered, “I know.” I really did.
He gave my hands a squeeze, parked the truck, and hopped out.
I reached for the handle, willing my hands to quit shaking. I wasn’t scared; I was nervous. Not that I believed he would hurt me, but that he would kiss me. I felt like such a child. What woman at twenty-one would be nervous about a hot guy kissing them? I shouldn’t have all these newbie jitters, but I did, and they scared the ever-loving shit out of me.
My door swung open, and Lynx held out his hand to me, something he had been doing much more of lately. Not only that, but simply holding my hand all the time, which I liked, too.
I took it, and he helped me out of his monstrosity of a vehicle. He held my hand, leading me up to the front door.
I was so on edge that, when a large, black animal started running toward us, I screamed and clutched Lynx for dear life.
“What is it?” I yelled, burrowing myself into Lynx’s back, knowing that, whatever it was, he would protect me from it.
I heard a bark then Lynx’s deep voice. “Pepper, sit. Stay,” he commanded.
That was when it clicked. A dog. He had a dog.
I slowly peered around his shoulder.
“Babe, it’s fine. Reign, meet Pepper. Pepper, this is Reign.” He introduced us like Pepper was a person.
I cautiously stepped out from behind Lynx, noting a striking, black dog sitting on his bottom, his front legs tall and straight. Its tongue was out, panting. He didn’t look mean, but more excited to have humans around.
“Do you like dogs?” Lynx asked when I didn’t say anything after the intro.
I paused. “It’s not that I don’t like them.” I sucked in deeply. This would be more of letting Lynx in. “When I was out on the streets, there were many dogs fighting for the same scraps of food I needed. Some were mean and won out because I couldn’t afford to get bitten and sent to the hospital. There was one dog, a bull dog, I later learned. He became my buddy.” Thoughts of Bullet spun in my head. I hadn’t thought of him in a really long time. It was strange how something so simple could be scrounged up.
I continued, “Bullet was his name. The other dogs would pick on him because he wasn’t as big as them. I took him in and kept him with me. I did the best I could, but Bullet was sick, and I had no way of helping him. He ended up dying.”
Lynx’s arm came around my shoulders, and he pulled me to him. It took a moment for me to relax, but I was getting so used to his touches it didn’t take nearly as long as before.
“Oh, babe. Sorry about that. I’ve had several dogs and gone through several of them dying. I get it.”
He whistled and Pepper came closer, but before he got too close, Lynx yelled, “Sit. Stay.”
Pepper listened.
“Pepper here is a black lab. She gets very excited when new people come around. Since I know you have a slight fear about it, we’ll take this nice and slow,” he said just before he put his hand up to the dog’s nose. “I want you to do the same so she can sniff you, know you’re good people.”
Tentatively, I did. It tickled when her cold nose touched my palm, and I smiled. “Hi, Pepper,” I called out just as she stuck out her tongue, giving my hand a lick. “All righty then.” I chuckled, wiping the dog drool on my jeans. “That’s kinda gross.”
Lynx smiled at me, even giving me a soft chuckle. “Seeing you smile is like watching the world light up. You have no idea the power you have in that one little act.”
My insides flipped, warming uncontrollably. With his arm still around me, he leaned down and kissed my temple. I took it, but deep down, I wanted more.
“Come on. Let me make ya somethin’ to eat.” He gave a soft squeeze, called Pepper, and just like he had told me he would, he handed me the keys after unlocking the door. I set them by my purse. I didn’t think I would need them.
Pepper stayed close. Every time she tried to jump up on me, Lynx would be right there, blocking her, to the point he told her to go lie in her bed. With a sad whine, she did.
I felt bad. This was her house, not mine. She should be able to move around without having restrictions. Besides, she seemed like a good dog. She listened to Lynx every time he told her to do something. That gave me the confidence to do what I did next.
“Lynx?”
He turned from the stove where he was making spaghetti since I had liked it so much at the restaurant he had taken me to.
“May I call over Pepper?”
“You sure? She’s gonna wanna jump on you.”
I nodded. This was okay. I had nothing to fear.
“All right. If it’s too much, you tell her to sit and stay, all right?”
“Yep.” I moved to the dog. “Pepper, come here, girl,” I told her.
She looked to Lynx, who must have given her a sign because she then came straight to me. It was weird, though. She didn’t barrel down on me like I had thought she would. She came up slowly, excitedly yet still in control. It was like she knew I needed this to go smoothly and was helping me. How could dogs know that?
As she came up to my feet and rubbed her head against my leg, I ran my hands through her fur, loving the softness. That was the moment my heart warmed to the point of bursting. I knelt down as she moved closer to me, accepting me into her space. I had nowhere else to put my arms, so I wrapped them around her.
“I take it you like her?” Lynx asked, kneeling down as I pulled away from her.
Pepper got more rambunctious with Lynx there, so I rose, taking a step back.
“Yeah. She’s a good dog.”
“That she is. Come, sit.” He motioned to the table, telling Pepper to go lie back down before he joined me where two plates of steaming hot pasta with meat sauce were waiting. It smelled so good, making my stomach rumble, and Lynx chuckled. My arm unconsciously reached out and nudged him.
Then I stilled. I didn’t just do that, did I? I so did.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, wrapping my arms around my body, feeling like I had done something terribly wrong.
When his strong arms came around me and pulled me to him, I didn’t retreat. I looked him dead in the eye.
“Babe, that’s normal. You didn’t hurt me at all. I rather liked it. I fucking love when that playful side comes out of you. You’ve shown me a time or two.” He smiled and I was mesmerized by it. “Babe,” he said, but I didn’t listen to anything except my thundering heart that sounded as if it was ready to jump out and win a race or something.
I cupped the side of his face, knowing I was going to mess this up, but I was unable to stop myself. It was like his lips were magical, and I wanted to taste them.
“Let me?” I whispered, seeking his permission.
“Babe, I’m not stopping ya.” His lips formed each word perfectly.
Unable to control the urges building inside me, I leaned in, feeling his breath on mine, hot and ready. I tried to remember how to do this then gave up and decided to just do it, and I did.
As our lips touched, a searing heat spiked with the contact. It was like something bigger was at play here, like the planets were aligning, making everything right in the world, even if for only this moment.
He didn’t take over the kiss like I thought he would. He simply let me lead.
I didn’t know what I was doing, but as our bodies pressed together and his arms tightened around me, I knew I was doing something right. I went with it, tilting my head and loving his warmth.
It wasn’t enough, though. I needed more.
Tentatively, I licked his lips as I kissed him, wanting to really taste him. Lynx didn’t hesitate on my offer. He thrust his tongue fully in my mouth, the unbelievable taste of him exploding. Only briefly did I wonder if I was doing it wrong, but his groans spurred me on, wanting to have more, needing to have more.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling his head down harder to mine, taking, giving. It was utterly the most wonderful thing I had ever experienced.
My breaths turned into pants and my core started to burn. I lifted my leg, wrapping it around his hip and feeling his hard length through his jeans. Something inside me craved, needing more.
When he broke the kiss, I immediately felt stupid. What in the hell was wrong with me? How had I gone from not kissing this man to wanting to rub myself against him? Shit, I was a whore.
As he rested his forehead against mine, his breaths labored, I put my leg back down on the ground.
“Babe, I can feel your body tightening. You didn’t do a damn thing wrong. Nothing.” He gave my lips a soft peck. “Everything was fucking amazing. I knew that spark was in you. Fuck, I’m one lucky son of a bitch.”
I shook my head. “I’m sorry … I—”
“No sorry. No going back, Reign. You did nothing wrong. It was fucking perfect. I am the one slowing things down. I don’t want you jumping too soon, babe. You’ve told me your past, so you’ve gotta let me take care of you, make this good for you.” He kissed me again. “Fuck, now I can’t stop tasting you. You’re so fucking beautiful.”
“I shouldn’t have…” Everything he was saying was wonderful, and parts of me were so excited he felt this way, but the other parts were telling me it was my fault, that what I was doing was wrong. That was why he didn’t want to take it further. And how far did I want to take it? Now that the lust levels had gone down, did I want to take it to us being naked together? So many questions.
I was realizing quickly why Lynx had slowed us down. I got it.
“You should kiss me more. Abso-fucking-lutely.” He kissed my lips all too quickly. “But let’s eat, talk, and take this at our own pace. No one is setting rules for our lives. We do that. We decide when it’s the right time.”
I nodded, feeling so damn happy he’d had the strength to take a breather. This was more than some passion-filled moment. This would determine how things progressed with us from here on out, and I didn’t want to screw that up.
“Let’s eat,” I said with a smile, the giddy feeling making the warmth fill me.
Was it joy I was feeling? Yes, I thought it was, and I let it. It was one of the best feelings I had ever had.
***
Dinner flew by in a flash. Lynx would ask me questions about my night at work, and I would ask about his night. We kept things light, without the heaviness of the moment we had shared falling down on us like a ton of bricks.
I didn’t feel panic. The emotions I felt when I first got there didn’t arise. I felt comfortable, like I was meant to be in that exact spot at that exact moment.
Lynx lead me over to his couch after dinner, putting some movie on then patting the cushion next to him. I sat, and then he pulled me up against his body. Damn, did it feel good: warm, hard, safe, comforting—all the things that I never thought I could have in my life. With Pepper at our feet, it felt … right.
As the movie went on, I didn’t feel right. Not sick, but different. I looked up into Lynx’s eyes.
“What’s wrong, babe? Don’t like the movie?” he asked as I stared at those lips.
I wasn’t sure where my sudden boldness manifested from as I fully turned into his arms.
“I need you to kiss me,” I told him softly.
“You sure about that, babe? ’Cause if you are, I’ve got no problem with that.”
“Yes,” I whispered.
He reached around me, running his fingers through my hair as our lips connected. While he had let me lead before, this time, he took over. I felt the power of each touch down to my core. I felt Pepper move away yet was too caught up in Lynx.
Our tongues massaged each other’s, each one trying to dive deeper. It was the hottest thing I had ever experienced, and I lost myself in it, only allowing myself to feel, not think.
Somehow, I ended up straddling his legs, my core rubbing against his hard shaft. My hips moved of their own accord, brushing up and down his length, hitting a place on my body that I had never allowed myself to experience.
He groaned in my mouth as we continued locking lips, dueling it out for supremacy. I found that I really loved kissing this man.
I rocked my hips back and forth as he broke away from the kiss, his words coming out breathless. “Babe, I want you to rub me until you come. I want to see it.”
I had no time to say anything before his tongue dove back into my mouth. I kissed him back with all the passion that coursed through my veins. I did as he had said and rocked my hips, loving the friction between our jeans and bodies.
When I had said I had closed that part of me off, I hadn’t been exaggerating. I had never had an orgasm before. Not self-induced, not when I was with anyone, ever. I had never allowed myself to feel any of that. I had faked it with a couple of men who got pissed I wasn’t going to, but that was the extent of it. Therefore, this building in my body was like a slowly churning tornado, building speed with each swivel of my hips.
I hit just the right spot, and my body set off like a rocket as explosions went through every nerve and piece of flesh on my body. I screamed out, not able to hold it in as it crashed over me again and again.
“Fuck,” Lynx groaned out, his hands on my hips, moving me so I could feel the aftershocks with each tilt of my hips.
My eyes shot open to his, immediately thinking I had done something wrong. However, his eyes were lidded, a sense of serenity, more than normal, washing over his features.
“What’s wrong?” I asked in a bit of a panic.
“Babe, calm down. Watching you come was the fucking hottest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. I came in my fucking jeans from watching you.”
I felt the heat hit my cheeks.
“That’s pretty fucking beautiful, too.” He laughed. “You know, I haven’t come in my jeans since I was thirteen.” He meant it as a joke, and to him, it was, but to me, it brought me back to my time as a thirteen-year-old. I didn’t have the same kind of memories he had, and I felt the dark cloud begin to encompass me.
“Babe. Don’t. Here and now,” he said, snapping my focus back on him. “I loved every second of that. We only think about what is happening right here and now.”
I nodded. He was right; none of that other stuff mattered.
“Not a word about me coming in my jeans.”
That made me chuckle.
“Why’s that?”
He lifted his brow. “The fact that I couldn’t hold it in because you looked so damn hot … Never mind, tell whoever the fuck you want. I don’t give a shit.” He pulled me down to him and kissed me softly and tenderly. “Now you’re gonna have to let me up so I can go clean myself up.”
I moved and smiled to myself as he left the room. I focused on the now, and it was fantastic.