PEPPER CAME AWAKE and grinned, even though Connall wasn’t in bed with her. Her body felt amazing—better than it ever had. She sighed as she stretched. Where are you, baby?
“Here,” Connall said as he came out of the bathroom.
He wore a pair of long shorts and nothing else. He was gorgeous. Her heart beat faster. She smiled and sat up. “Hi.”
“Hi.” He sat on the edge of the bed and smiled. “You’re speaking English again, it seems.”
“I am,” she said, and pulled her braid forward. “My hair’s back to normal too.”
“It is.” He grinned. “You’re sexy either way, love, but I do prefer the blonde.”
Pepper sat up and ran her hands down his chest. “Guess what?”
“What?”
“I remember everything.”
“Everything?”
“Absolutely everything.” She wrinkled her nose.
“Why don’t you look happy?”
She shrugged. “Probably because I’m annoyed.”
“Annoyed? Why?”
“Because neither of us is naked.”
He chuckled. “Good thing that’s something within our control.”
“That is true.”
“In all seriousness, though, how do you feel?”
“Like a frustrated hussy,” she said.
“Well, then, let’s rectify that immediately.”
“Are we alone?”
He lifted the shirt over her head. “Absolutely.”
Connor knelt between her legs and pushed her knees open. Guiding her legs over his shoulders, he covered her core with his mouth and sucked her clit. She let out a little mew as he continued to lick, suck, and stroke her to near orgasm. One firmer suck had Pepper breaking and, as she climaxed, he slid into her. She arched against him, his sheer size nearly driving her to climax again. He rolled onto his back, carrying her with him so she was straddling him. Pepper anchored her hands on his chest and shifted, drawing him deeper inside of her.
“Fuck, baby.” He grabbed her hips and groaned. “Your pussy’s… ahhh…”
Pepper contracted around him.
“Baby,” he whispered, reaching for a breast with one hand while thumbing her clit with the other.
Pepper raised up and then lowered herself again, the sensation of him filling her while his thumb worked her clit was overwhelming.
She lowered again and quickly found herself on her back and yanked gently to the edge of the bed. Connall stood between her legs and drove into her so fast and hard, she came before he was done. She cried out and gripped his wrists, but he broke her hold and spread her legs wider, sliding his hands just below the back of her knees, tipping her hips up a bit, so he could go deeper.
He let out a grunt and then a yell before collapsing on top of her and rolling them onto their sides. He cupped her breast and kissed her. “I want to have a hundred babies with you.”
Pepper giggled, but she was cut off when his thumb stroked her clit again. Facing him, she had room to move, so she hooked a leg around his hip and pressed in.
“Your pussy’s so fuckin’ tight and wet,” he breathed out. “God, so good.”
Pepper flattened her palms against his chest and closed her eyes as he cupped her breast and rolled a nipple between his fingers.
“I’m going to move you, love.”
“Huh-uh,” Pepper complained.
He grinned and nodded. “You’ll like this better, trust me.”
“I can’t imagine liking anything better than this.”
“On all fours, baby,” he directed and she did as he said. “Cheek to the mattress.”
She fell forward and he slid into her from behind. She whimpered at the feeling. It was amazing. One hand ran down the length of her back while the other gripped her thigh. He slid out and in slowly before reaching forward and cupping her breast.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Harder.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes,” Pepper encouraged.
Connall slammed into her, holding her thighs steady and then surged in and out of her, faster and faster. Pepper screamed his name as she came around him, but he wasn’t done and he ran a finger over her clit, building her up again.
“I’m close,” he rasped.
“Come, honey,” Pepper demanded as she exploded again.
She felt him pulse inside of her, and then rolled them onto their sides, staying connected. Pepper was grateful the house was empty. She had discovered she was vocal both publically and privately. She rolled away from him and giggled.
“My lovemaking makes you laugh?” he asked in mock exasperation.
She shook her head, still laughing. “The fact I’m so loud does.”
“Seriously?” He rolled onto his side and rested his head in his palm. “You’re surprised you’re loud?”
Pepper rolled her eyes. “Oh, you’re a laugh-riot, buddy.”
He grinned and pulled her close, leaning down to kiss her. “I love that I hear your joy. Means I’m doing all the right things.”
“Oh, you definitely are. No doubt about that.” He leaned down to kiss her again, but she laid her fingers over his lips. “Let’s hold that thought. I’m hungry and I’m guessing you are too, so I’m going to go and make us something to eat.”
He disengaged from her hand, leaning down to kiss her anyway. Pepper slipped her fingers into his hair but the sound of her stomach rumbling effectively killed the mood.
Connall groaned. “You should eat.”
Pepper chuckled. “Ya think?”
She climbed from the bed and pulled on sweats and a T-shirt, turning to find Connall grinning at her from the bed.
“Are you coming?” she asked.
“Hmmm.”
“Hmmm, what?”
“I like my T-shirt on you. I’d like it better off of you… or wet… or wet and then off you.”
Pepper glanced down at the white shirt and smiled. “You like it because it’s tight. Noted. Now, I’m hungry. Come on.”
He laughed and climbed from the bed, pulling shorts and a shirt on as he made his way to her. As they headed through their sitting room, his phone pealed from the bedroom. “Sorry, love. Forgot my phone.” He headed back to the room.
It’s Kade, sweetheart. Won’t be a minute.
Pepper headed for the stairs. I’ll meet you in the kitchen.
Okay, he said.
She headed down the back stairs, turning right at the bottom, but quickly realized she’d made a wrong turn and doubled back. She ended up somewhere she hadn’t been yet. Five minutes of turning in circles had her about ready to scream.
Pepper? You’re not in the kitchen.
“No sh—” she mumbled out loud.
Pepper, he admonished, but she could hear the laugh in his voice. Where are you?
I’m lost, damn it. I have no idea where I am. She stomped her foot. This house is too big.
What do you see?
Walls.
Is there a door you can perhaps open, love?
There must be at least twelve, smarty pants. She pushed open the door closest to her and found herself in a small bathroom. A bathroom with blue flower tiles on the wall. The toilet has the high tank with a long pulley thingy.
Okay, stay put. I’ll come get you.
Pepper sat on the toilet lid and dropped her head into her hands. She tried to control her panic in an effort not to curl up in a ball in the corner. How could she possibly live in a house she couldn’t navigate?
“Oh,” a quiet but startled voice said from the doorway.
Pepper shot to her feet. Remembering her state of undress, she covered her chest and studied the petite brunette, not much older than she was. She was dressed in a gray maid’s uniform and carrying a stack of fluffy white towels, which she set on the counter.
“I’m sorry, m’lady. I thought… well, I’m sorry.” The girl curtsied and turned to leave.
“Elsie,” Connall said as he stepped into the bathroom, carrying a plate. “You can finish this in a bit, lass.”
“Aye sir.” Elsie curtsied again and then scurried out of the room.
Pepper scowled. “Who was that?”
“Elsie. She’s one of the housemaids.”
“One of the housemaids?” she squeaked. “You said we were alone.”
“We are.”
“By definition, Con, the fact there’s another human being in the house, means we are not.”
“Right. Well, we are now.” He laid his hands on her arms and smiled. “I brought you a bagel and there’s fresh coffee in the kitchen.”
“Made by the other people who aren’t here, right?” Pepper frowned. “I thought I was making you breakfast.”
“Now you don’t have to.”
She took the bagel from the plate and bit into it, her hunger rising to an uncomfortable level. Connall took her hand and started toward the door.
She pulled him back. “Con?”
He faced her. “Yes, love.”
“How many… um...” She swallowed. “… other people are there in this house?”
Connall ran his thumb across her knuckles. “Year round or at the present time?”
She yanked her hand from his. She didn’t want to be calm… she wanted to fight.
“Currently, there are six, including you and me,” he admitted.
“And Elsie?”
“Aye.”
“Why would you tell me we’re alone?”
“Well, we were…” Connall sighed. “I told the staff to stay out of our part of the house. I didn’t quite plan for the possibility of you getting lost.”
“What’s with the uniform? You said the staff didn’t wear uniforms.”
“I was really referring to the fact that Dick and Helen didn’t…”
She dropped the bagel and narrowed her eyes. “You are in so much trouble.” She strode past him and out the door.
“Where are you going, sweetheart?”
“To the bedroom to put something less revealing on,” she snapped.
He caught up to her and took her arm. “You’re going the wrong way.”
She swore and pulled out of his grip. “I can’t believe you told me we were alone,” she accused.
“Well, we kind of are.”
“That’s a lie of omission and you know it. You ‘instructed’ the staff to go into stealth mode, so I’d think we were alone, didn’t you?”
“Perhaps, but I didn’t want to overwhelm you.”
“Just take me back to the bedroom, please.”
He took her hand again and led her down the hall and to the bedroom. A trip she would never be able to retrace.
“Yes, you will,” he said. “I’ll draw you a map and before you know it, you’ll know every crevice.”
She pulled her hand away and sighed. “Babe, I know you can’t help that your lifestyle is one I’m not used to, so please understand I’m not trying to be difficult when I say I can’t live here.”
“It’s not that big. Give it a chance.”
“I can’t.”
“Why not?” he asked.
“I don’t feel safe.”
He shook his head. “How could you not feel safe? The house is equipped with the most advanced security system, and every employee here would protect you with their own life.”
She paced, her stomach rolling with nervousness.
“What haven’t you told me?” When she didn’t answer immediately, Connall grabbed her arm and lifted her chin. “I do not like this ability, Pepper. Please stop blocking me.”
She dropped her head onto his chest. “There’s a reason I don’t like to live alone… and there’s a very specific reason I don’t like big houses.”
“Come here.” He led her to the loveseat at the end of the bed and pulled her down next to him. “Tell me.”
“I was dating this guy… well, no… let me back up. I wanted to date him. Anyway, he was one of Dalt’s football buddies in high school. His parents were über rich and owned the biggest house in our area. Miniscule in comparison to this one, but still, I was enamored with it. You’ve seen my house. It’s little better than a double-wide.”
He nodded his agreement.
“Well, Jet invited—”
“Jet? Really?” he asked.
“It was what everyone called him. He hated his real name, which was Jethro…Rivers. Plus, he was super fast, so the nickname worked on and off the field. Anyway, he invited me to a party at his house, and I was super excited. I was a freshman and he was a senior, and I thought I was special, you know?” Connall gripped the arm of the sofa and Pepper laid her hand on his thigh. “Are you sure you want me to tell you this?”
“Yes.” He relaxed. “Sorry. Continue.”
“When I got to his house, he was alone. There was no party, no parents, just him and a fully stocked bar. Stupidly, I ignored all the warning bells ringing in stereo in my head and believed him when he said he just wanted us to get to know each other. I wasn’t prepared for the attack. It started with a kiss, and then I was pinned to the sofa and when I tried to stop him, he tore my shirt and slapped me. I managed to get away from him, but he came after me. I made it to the front door, but it was locked and I couldn’t figure out how to open it. He stood there, laughing at me, as I did everything I could to try to get out. I spent the next twenty minutes or so trying to find a way out of the house… and I kept getting lost because it was so big. He taunted me as we played his sadistic game of hide and seek.” She shuddered and forced the tears away. “His parents had installed three new doors that had a sophisticated locking system, and if you either knew the code or the house was burning down, they would open. Of course, because the house was so large, I couldn’t find the doors that were normal. I just kept getting turned around.”
Connall frowned. “Did they think locking themselves in would keep them safe?”
“Who knows? It was a unique feature on their security system and I guess Jet turned it on, knowing I’d have no way to get out. I hid in one of the closets, but knew it wouldn’t take long for him to find me. I think he actually knew where I was all along. He probably just let me think I was escaping him.”
Connall tightened his hold on her. “Did he—?”
She shook her head. “No. He never got the chance. Dalton came.”
Connall stiffened beside her.
Pepper shifted to face him, crossing her legs and leaning forward to stay connected to him. “Sam didn’t like that I had agreed to the invitation, especially since no other freshman had been invited. She knew something was fishy and asked Dalton if he knew about the party. She said he knocked the mailbox over as he drove out of the driveway. He knew there wasn’t a party and also knew Jet’s reputation. I was fighting Jet off when we heard the doorbell and then Dalton yelling something about an emergency on the football team. Jet threw me on the ground and went to answer the door. Sam told me when Jet opened the door, Dalton sucker punched him. I heard Sam and Dalt yelling for me, and when I got to them, Jet was laid out flat, and Dalton was holding him down. Dalt threw me his keys and told me to get in the car and lock the door.”
“Why didn’t he go with you?”
“Because he was delivering some justice,” Pepper said. “He had to sit the next game out because he bruised his hand so bad. Jethro got it much worse, though. Dalton made sure he was kicked off the team and then out of school.”
“He had that much power?”
“Star quarterback of the number-one team in the nation? Damn straight. Dalton told the school board his parents would send him to the competing private school if they didn’t deal with Jet. The school board wouldn’t hear of it. Football’s a big deal where we come from.”
Connall sighed. “Well, I have to admit, as much as I hate that he was your hero, I’m glad he was there.”
She nodded. “For years afterwards, I wouldn’t go into a house bigger than mine. It took me several months before I’d even go back into Sam’s, but Dalton always walked with me around the house, checking for monsters, so to speak. He made me feel safe.”
“Just how close were you?”
“We were close. We dated, actually.”
Connall scowled. “He still loves you.”
She shrugged. “Maybe. Although I think he loves the idea of me more.”
“What do you mean?”
“He liked that I needed him. He liked that I was a damsel in distress, I think. If I’d had a life like his, I don’t think he’d have looked sideways at me. I also wasn’t easy to get.” She gripped Connall’s chin. “Men typically like it when a woman’s a challenge.”
He chuckled. “Oh, you were a challenge, sweetheart, just not in the way you thought.”
“The thing about Dalton is that when I met you, anything I thought I might have felt for him just faded away. And now that you’ve bound me and it’s… well, it’s…”
He smiled. “I know.”
“Anyway, I thought the memory of that night was over, but when I got turned around in here, it brought it all back.”
Connall stroked her cheek. “Which is why you’d feel more comfortable at the guest house.”
“Yes.” She bit her lip. “Would that be terrible for you?”
“It’ll certainly be an adjustment. But we can move in there and stay for as long as you like.”
She relaxed. “Forever?”
He nodded. “If it takes forever for you to feel safe, sweetheart, we’ll stay there forever.”
“And no one but us will be there.”
“No one else will be there unless you say it’s okay, and you’ve signed your acknowledgement in triplicate.”
Pepper rolled her eyes. “You know why, right?”
“You just told me.”
“Not just that.” She licked her lips. “I want the freedom to walk around naked… and have a little fun in every room of the house.”
Connall hummed his agreement, leaning over to kiss her.
She slid her hands into his hair. “I love you. More than you could ever know.”
“I love you too. Now, let’s eat and then we can visit Jonesy. You’ll be able to ride him as early as Monday or Tuesday. The parson will be here with everyone for dinner tonight, so we’ll sign the book, have dinner, and then plan on sleeping at the guest house. Does that work?”
“Yes. Perfect.”
“We need to set up some ground rules, though.”
Pepper nodded. “I can’t shut you out.”
“You can’t shut me out.”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I’ll do better.”
“That’s all I ask.”
“Thank you,” he said, kissing her.
“Okay, now feed your woman.”
“I’m at your command.”
* * *
Connall woke to quiet. He and Pepper had slept in the pitifully small guest house bed, and there was no denying he was alone. At the present time, the bed wasn’t moving with her constant tossing and turning. He checked the bathroom and when he couldn’t find her, he pulled on sweats and a T-shirt and made his way downstairs. He heard the sound of singing coming from the kitchen. Slightly off-key, but still lovely. Following the sound of the music, he padded to the kitchen. Pepper was dancing around the room, wooden spoon in hand, and Connall grinned as she dipped the spoon into the pan and then used it as a microphone.
He realized she had ear buds in both ears, which was why her pitch was off, but he didn’t care. She was adorable. She wore one of his T-shirts, and it was long enough to fall past her bottom. When she raised her arms to reach into one of the cabinets, the shirt lifted to reveal white lace boy shorts. She placed salt and pepper on the counter and stirred the eggs.
“Would it kill you to learn how to love me? Would it kill you to think just for a moment like I do?” she sang, her hips swaying to the music.
He grinned as he leaned against the wall and crossed his arms.
Pepper salted the eggs and turned toward the fridge. “Do you ever stop to think before you take that drink from that bitter cup that’s kill—” She caught sight of Connall and let out a squeal, dropping the spoon.
He chuckled and bent down to pick it up.
“How long have you been standing there?” she asked as she pulled her ear buds out and set her iPod on the counter.
“Long enough to appreciate the view.” Connall dropped the spoon in the sink and wrapped his arms around her. “That doesn’t sound like a Fallen Crown song.”
“It’s the Citizens.”
“Ahh, they’re not bad, I guess.”
“You guess? They’re my absolute second favorite band,” she said.
He chuckled. “So long as they’re not your first.”
She kissed his chin. “Are you hungry?”
“Hm-mmm.” He ran his lips across her jaw and down her neck.
She giggled. “For food?”
“Huh-uh.” He slipped his hands under the waistband of her underwear and cupped her bottom.
She licked her lips. “But I made eggs.”
He focused on her neck again. “I see that.”
“Coffee?”
“Later.”
He lifted her up against the wall, using the flat surface as an anchor. Divesting her quickly of her clothes, he kissed her until neither of them could breathe.
The irritating squeal of the smoke detector sounded in the background and Pepper groaned as she gripped his shoulders. “The eggs,” she panted.
With a grunt of irritation, he turned off the stove, pushed the pan to the back of the cook-top, and opened the small window closest to the fridge. All while holding her. He then carried her up to the bedroom.