Emily

“Just let me see.”

“No. I’m good thanks.”

“Come on, take your pants off so I can get a look at it.”

“I don’t want to. Maybe later.”

I blew out a breath in frustration. “Just show me your ass, Ethan.”

We were standing in my kitchen while I searched for my stash of Band-Aids under the counter. I tended to get carried away playing Iron Chef and after a particularly bad slice last summer, I started keeping my first aid supplies in reach of the stove.

“Seriously, I don’t think it’s that bad.” Ethan craned his neck around in an attempt to check out his own ass—or more accurately, the location where my insane mutt had just bitten the bejesus out of it. “I don’t see any blood soaking through my jeans; we’re all good.”

I muttered an ‘aha’ as my hand closed around the practically full box of bandages. There was a box of alcohol wipes and some triple antibiotic ointment on the shelf right beside them. Score! I turned to Ethan and rolled my eyes. “You just don’t want to show me that sweet ass.”

He acted like he was about to argue then shrugged. “Not in this context anyway.”

“Drop your drawers, you big baby.” I used my secret weapon—my southern accent.

He groaned and bitched but eventually, he unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans. I made a turning motion with my finger and he leaned over the counter while tugging the back of his pants down.

“Nice cakes.” I chuckled. “Except those teeth marks.”

“See if I give him any more marshmallows.” He glanced over his shoulder at me. “Nothing throws a guy out of the moment like a dog latching onto his ass.”

“You should have seen it from my angle,” I told him, leaning down to inspect his injury as I gave him a sultry-voiced play by play. “Your warm body blanketing me, sinking into that first long kiss, my hands full of your hair, then a low growl I thought was you and bam! You were off me so fast all I saw was a streak of hair.”

“He was latched on. To. My. Ass.” His tone was equal parts outrage and amusement. “I thought we had a bond, man. ‘Mallows before…”

“If you say hoes, so help me God, you really will be bleeding.”

His hips shot forward as I ran the cold alcohol wipe over his reddened—but unbroken—skin. “Easy, I was just joking.”

“It was alcohol, not acid. I can take a joke too, you know.”

“So, what’s the prognosis, Doc? Am I gonna make it?”

I slapped his ass just to one side of the red marks, making his hips shoot forward again. “You’ll be fine. Just red. It might bruise though, so no ass-less chaps for a few days.”

He tugged his jeans up and fastened them, turning to face me. “Just great. Now what am I supposed to wear to Thanksgiving dinner?”

“Well, you could dress up as a turkey. Give Dammit one more reason to want to bite you.”

“Hell no, he’d probably go for the giblets next.”

We were both laughing at that little exchange when Dammit started scratching at my bedroom door, wanting out. Ethan flipped the bird in that direction, still laughing. “Enjoy solitary confinement, you bitey little jerk.”

I had to play devil dog’s advocate, though. “In his defense, it probably looked to him like you were trying to hurt me.”

“If you hadn’t yelped in surprise, he would have been fine.”

“Hey, it was a good yelp. Like, ‘holy hell this amazingly hot guy totally just tackled me.’ Not like, ‘Dammit, sic him!’ And it’s not my fault the dog doesn’t know the difference. He was protecting his momma.”

His laughter died down and his eyes heated. “You never need protecting from me, Emily. All I wanted was to make you feel good…incredibly good, for a long damn time. I’ve wanted that from the moment I met you, and I still want that, still want you a little more each day.” The scratching started up again, and he waved a hand in that direction. “Of course, the bedroom is off limits right now, so I’m afraid we’re just gonna have to improvise.”

My breath came out thready and uneven as he crooked a finger and bid me to come closer. When there was a scant inch between our bodies, he reached down and gripped my waist with both hands, lifting me onto the counter.

He pushed my thighs wide and stepped into the space between them, his eyes never leaving mine. “As I was suffering the indignity of having my bare ass examined, it occurred to me that this counter is the perfect height.” He gripped my ass in both hands and slid me forward until I was nearly hanging off the edge.

I gasped and braced myself by grabbing his shoulders. “Ethan!”

He nudged my nose with his, staring into my eyes as he tightened his grip on my ass. “I’ve got you, gorgeous. I won’t let you fall.”

His lips found mine then, soft and insistent. He tasted of chocolate and marshmallows, sweet and warm. His tongue barely brushed my lips, and a jolt of desire shot through me.

There was no hurry, though, so those light flicks of his tongue were as deep as it got for a while. We sank into each other, soft sighs emitting from us both as arousal built and our hands explored.

His hair was soft in my hands, the unruly curls long enough to run my fingers through over and over again. He seemed to like that, and his subtle groans of pleasure tickled my lips.

I leaned back and pulled him with me so that he was bent over me on the counter and I could fully press myself against his erection. He thrust forward, catching my lip between his teeth as he did, and I let out a hiss, dying to take it further.

“Ethan…”

“Hmm?” he muttered, moving to run his tongue along my throat.

I was breathless as I said, “I want you. Now.”

His slow exhalation warmed my neck as he leaned up to speak into my ear. “And you’ll have me. Soon.” He went right back to kissing and lightly sucking my neck.

“Now,” I whimpered, insistent.

He chuckled against my throat. “You’d rather I tore off your clothes and took you right here, right now?”

“Would that be so bad?”

His thumb circled my nipple through my shirt, and he tweaked it ever so gently. “No. It would be fantastic, but would it be better? Better than taking our time? Better than exploring?” He leaned down and locked his mouth over my breast, his warm breath penetrating my top and bra in an instant and making me squirm. “Better than hours of you making that mewling noise in your throat? The one that tells me over and over how much you want me and how good I’m making you feel already? I don’t think so.”

“Tease.”

“Temptress,” he countered as he reached for the waistband of my jeans. “Now, just because we’re pacing ourselves doesn’t mean we can’t take it up a notch. See? I can compromise.”

I didn’t dare say anything, afraid he’d stop what he was doing—which was peeling my pants off. My thin, satiny panties stayed on, though, much to my disappointment.

Once my yoga pants were no longer an obstacle, he repositioned himself between my legs and tugged me against him.

“Mmm…” I put my hands on the edge of the counter and pulled myself toward him, loving the friction now that at least one barrier had been removed. His jeans needed to go, too, but I didn’t have the vocal capacity to suggest it just then. All I could do was bite my lip and try not to cry out as he pressed against me again and again. He had one hand on my hip, the other cupping my breast as he looked down at me with hooded eyes.

“See? Great compromise, right?”

I just nodded, squirming and working myself against him.

“You seem out of breath.” He hooked a thumb in the direction of the fridge. “Should I get you some water or…”

“Don’t you dare stop.”

He quirked a brow and took a step back. “Miss Emily, you should never say ‘don’t you dare’ to someone like me. It goads me into doing exactly the opposite of what you want.”

“Ethan, dammit, that’s mean.” I pouted.

The dog barked behind the closed bedroom door at the sound of his name.

Ethan just grinned. “On the other hand, maybe there’s a compromise to be found here, too. You don’t want me to stop what I was doing, but I feel compelled to because you practically forbade me. How about this?”

With that, he dropped down and locked his mouth over my pussy through my thin panties. My hips bucked at the sensation and he leaned back, smiling. “Another good compromise, yes?”

“Yes.” I nodded, reaching down to shift my panties to one side. “With one minor adjustment.”

His eyes fell on my exposed skin and he nodded. “Yep. Now it’s a great compromise.”

He didn’t waste any time; his mouth was on me in an instant. His tongue found my clit and danced over it so masterfully I nearly cried. He took over holding my panties askew, and I found myself threading both hands into his hair, tugging the soft brown curls.

His free hand dipped between my legs, and one long finger found its way into my opening, sliding in effortlessly. I was slick with arousal, panting and biting my lip to keep from screaming his name.

He licked and nipped me, briefly removing his finger so he could fuck me with his tongue before going back to my clit and plunging two fingers inside me. He curled them upward as he thrust in and out, finding a rhythm that threatened to set my whole body aflame.

I was dimly aware of Dammit scratching at the bedroom door and barking, but I couldn’t focus long enough to care.

When Ethan’s mouth locked over my clit and he began to suck, my hands darted out, trying to brace my body in case I slid off the counter. I ended up sending a glass crashing into the sink but even the sound of it breaking didn’t make either of us stop.

He kept pumping his fingers into me and sucking hard on my clit until I couldn’t help it…I couldn’t hold back anymore.

I screamed his name as my orgasm tore through me. My whole body convulsed and twitched as my core milked his fingers, and my clit throbbed in his mouth.

Somewhere in the living room, my phone rang and almost threw me out of those last delicious moments, but I managed to block out the sound as the last waves of pleasure ebbed, and Ethan began running soft kisses up and down my inner thigh.

“So beautiful,” he muttered over and over, his eyes closing briefly as he pressed his lips to my mound one last time, making me shiver.

I finally managed to get my motor skills back and sat up, pulling him by the neck until my mouth was on his. After a long, deep kiss, I smiled and tugged his shirt over his head, fully revealing his tatted arms for the first time. My eyes skimmed them with interest for a moment before desire won out over curiosity and I reached for the button on his jeans, thumbing it open and working my hand inside. “How about you get up on the counter for a while, and I’ll show you how good I am at…compromising?”

He groaned and pushed his erection into my palm.

“Hey, Emily? You okay in there, hon?” My neighbor, Janice, knocked on my door. “I tried to call but you didn’t answer. I thought I heard a crash and a scream.”

Shit!

Ethan looked like he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Dammit continued to sing the song of his people from the bedroom.

I jumped off the counter and grabbed my pants on my way to answer the door. Ethan scooped his shirt off the floor, slipping down the hall and out of sight, adjusting himself as he went.

Shit. I hope he doesn’t get blue balls before I get rid of her.

I ran my hands over my hair and opened the door a crack, smiling. “Hey! I’m good. Sorry for the noise. I was talking to my mom on the phone, and you know how that gets.” I rolled my eyes like I was frustrated, which I kind of was. “Dammit started barking because I was agitated so I put him in my room. And the glass breaking…well, I threw a glass in the sink too hard while arguing with her, so. Yeah. That’s been my night.”

She gave me a sympathetic look. “I know the feeling. My mother pisses me off to no end, too.” Her eyes darted over my shoulder, peeking inside. “You sure you’re okay, though? I can stay if you need to vent.”

“Thanks, girl. I appreciate it, but I think I’m just gonna clean up the glass and head to bed. It’s tiring talking to that woman.”

She snorted. “Sucks the life right out of you, doesn’t it?”

“That it does.” I smiled politely.

She gave me one last look and nodded. “Okay, doll. Call if you change your mind. And tell Dammit I’ll see him Monday for his mid-morning walk. I got some great new doggy snacks. They’re organic, vegan, and gluten-free.”

“Yum, he’ll love that.” Poor Dammit.

“Good night.” She waved as she headed for the elevator.

“Night, Janice. Thanks for looking out for me.”

“Anytime.”

I closed the door and caught sight of Ethan making his way into the living room behind me, laughing. “Never mind putting the dog in solitary confinement; those treats will be punishment enough.”

I just shook my head. “Does that mean you want me to let him out?”

He glanced in that direction as he dropped his shirt back onto the floor and motioned for me to do the same. “Maybe later. Right now, we have more compromising to do.”

Poor Dammit.

We should have given him a harmonica.

He was going to be in doggy jail for a long time.