Barrett

In a black bra and jeans, her dark hair tumbling over her slight shoulders, Catarina Everhart is a fucking knockout. I don’t say that lightly. It’s true I have a broad appreciation for the opposite sex, including the female ref I spouted off at during an intense moment of the game.

I did mail Santiago a bouquet, by the way. Three, actually. All of them were roses and included cards with my handwritten apology. When I returned to the flower shop for the third time, the elderly lady running the joint said, and I quote, “You’re in hot water with this one, aren’t you?”

I don’t think Santiago ever forgave me, but then I’m accustomed to that. Beth forgave me but shortly after she’d inevitably bring up the shit I did “wrong” in our relationship, and then we were back to yelling at each other again.

I like women. I appreciate women. They don’t always like and appreciate me. I may seem like an asshole, but there’s a guy buried beneath the tabloid fodder who loves kids and wants forever like any heart-eyed sap with a gold band on his finger.

I like Catarina a hell of a lot. I’m not saying it’s the mother-of-my-future-Foxes or put-a-ring-on-it kind of like, but who’s to say a few years later things won’t turn out that way?

Conversely, it could turn out a different way. A yelling match that precedes a breakup that leads to a hopeful reunion that ultimately crashes and burns.

Wow. That was depressing.

“Catarina.” Her eyes widen when I say her actual name. “You sure about this? One hundred percent?”

“No. Are you?”

“No,” I admit.

“We’re going on an adventure. That’s from The Hobbit.”

“Has anyone ever told you that you act dorky when you’re turned on?”

Her smile widens.

Total knockout.

I catch her hand and she stands with me, keeping her eyes glued to mine the entire time.

“Why not, right?” she asks.

“A million reasons why not,” I confess. “But I can think of a few great reasons why.” I weave her fingers with mine and, holding her arms wide, pull her close until our bodies brush.

“A few really great reasons why.” Her smile’s back and I know I don’t have to ask again if she’s sure. I feel it in the strength of her stare and the way she squeezes my interlocking fingers with hers.

I kiss her. Deeply.

Then soft. Then firm.

Sweet mercy.

I’m rock-hard and ready after less than a minute of exploring her incredible mouth.

I disentangle my hands to push them into her hair, tilting her head to kiss her deeper than before. As our tongues slide, the stress of the day melts away, leaving nothing but the heady sensation of being lost in her mouth.

And, oh yeah, there’s that whimper again. It’s a tiny, pleading sound that causes my muscles to go taut.

I pull my hands from her hair, my lips from hers, and reach for the zipper of her jeans. She wriggles free of the garment while I wrestle with my belt and zipper, clumsily pulling at my T-shirt with her help.

We’re frantic, hands everywhere. We strip each other naked in record time.

My mouth slams into hers and I back her into the kitchen rather than throw her on the sofa. I can’t deal with her the way I want to on that narrow strip of leather. I’m vibrating with tension and need a release more than my next breath. When her ass bumps the counter, I hastily apologize.

She grabs my ears and pulls my face to hers and we resume kissing. Touching. Her hands sliding from my face to my chest, from my ass to my cock.

Her touch elicits a guttural plea from me—and I don’t tend to be a beggar.

“I like this part of you,” she whispers against my mouth. She tugs my cock and I hover over her, teeth bared.

“It’s yours, Kitty Cat. Knock yourself out.”

That brings forth a saucy smile before she sweeps that mouth away from me and places an openmouthed kiss on my chest. Her teeth scrape my nipple and I buck in her palm. Her tongue lashes across my chest as she strokes me below. The closer her mouth gets to my throbbing erection the more my mind blanks.

Seriously.

I got nothin’.

By the time she covers the tip with her plush lips, I’m gripping the counter behind me so hard I might crack it. My other hand is nested in Catarina’s hair, and I hold it away from her face so I can watch her take my length into her eager mouth.

Out. In.

Out. In.

Fuck.

“Come up for air, honey.” I grind my teeth as she pulls her lips away slowly and places a tender kiss on the head. My mouth is dropped open, my chest heaving. I blink to reset my brain.

Doesn’t work.

She rises from the floor and I stare at her naked body and try not to drool. Breasts perky and full. Hips narrow but curvy. Slim waist. Long legs.

“You’re so fucking gorgeous,” I croak.

“You’re pretty hot yourself, Fox.” When her smile goes crooked, I regain my composure and come up with an award-winning idea.

“Turn around.”

Catarina

Barrett makes a circle motion with one finger in the air, directing me.

I follow orders, having no interest in arguing or putting off what I came here for. I wanted to kiss him. Have sex with him. Be near him. The excuses I made while I bided my time today were just that: excuses. My body is calling the shots now. I’m but a willing slave to the wetness between my legs—to the pucker of my nipples.

I spin and face the cabinets, resting my hands on the countertop and pushing onto my toes.

My hair is swept to the side and Barrett’s lips land on my shoulder. He places another kiss on my neck. Then nibbles my earlobe. I don’t mean to shudder, but it happens, a full-body shiver that’s brief but harsh.

“My Kitty Cat likes her licks.” There’s a sensual humor in his voice. “Don’t worry, honey. We’re not going to rush. I promised you attention and you’re getting it.”

He smooths both hands down my arms as he continues tonguing my neck and kissing his way down my shoulder again. Goosebumps spring to the surface of my skin and my nipples tighten. He grazes one, notices I’m ready, and switches his graze to a leisurely stroke. Pinch. Pull. Rub.

I open my mouth and a soft moan falls out of it. He slides the flat of his other hand down my stomach and straight to the V of my thighs.

He’s pressed against me, inches of hardness nudging my ass, as he strokes my folds with the same leisurely motions as he does my nipple. I’m pressing harder against him at my back, holding onto the counter for all I’m worth, and squeezing my eyes closed. I concentrate on the feel of his talented fingers bringing me closer and closer to release.

Release that comes fast.

He strokes me as I whimper the word “yes” over and over. By the time I snap out of my daze, his hand is wrapped around my breast, his other hand cupping my sex and applying pressure—just enough to ground me and help guide me back to earth.

“If you promise not to move,” he says into my ear, “I’ll grab a condom and fuck you against this countertop and give you a couple more of those.”

My exhalation is sharp. I want that. So badly.

“Yeah?” He leans close to hear my answer.

“Yeah,” I breathe.

He places a kiss on the corner of my mouth and returns a moment later, sheathed. I peek over my shoulder and admire his muscular form, the reddish gold hair on his chest leading down to the manscaped thatch at the base of his throbbing cock. I’m gifted that wicked tilt of his lips. Then he does that circular motion with his finger again, beckoning me to turn around.

“Not from behind?” I ask and it’s clear that it’s what I was hoping for.

“Can’t bear to look at me?” He’s amused.

“No, it’s just…I thought…”

“That’s your problem, Kitty Cat. You don’t have to think. Just do as I ask.”

I turn around, keeping my hands on the counter behind me. It has the added bonus of pushing my breasts forward which is where Barrett’s stare is currently resting.

“Up.” He grips my waist and gives me a little lift. I assist by pushing my palms into the counter, but I don’t have to strain much. I’m in the air a second later, and wrapping my legs around his naked hips. Propping my ass on the edge of the counter, he positions his cock and slides forward, nudging, seeking, until…

“There!” I helpfully instruct.

“Yeah, I know where it is.” He chuckles and I offer an admonishing slap to his upper arm. Then I’m off the counter and my back is resting against the wall. “I know what you’re thinking. Can I hold you, fuck you, give you an orgasm, and have one myself? And the answer is…probably.”

I start to laugh—but it fades when he slides those inches all the way home. He’s in deep and I’m anchored, taking him to the root. He pauses, blows out an exhalation, and hits me with more honesty.

“I’ve wanted this.” Blue eyes fastened on me, he begins to move. My back is flat on the wall and he’s bending, sliding, back and forward, and oh God I don’t even care how he’s doing it.

I keep my gaze trained on him and my legs around his hips and my arms on his shoulders. I play with his hair and deliver a clumsy kiss.

“Working for you?” he asks.

“Yes,” I answer, followed by a few more yeses, because friends, he found the spot. The spot North found once, maybe twice. The spot I found myself but didn’t often bother with. “There. Oh God.”

“How about…?” He shifts his hips, plunges in harder, and I swear I see stars. They obliterate the air directly in front of me for a few dazzling seconds. A cry I didn’t mean to let out accompanies the second time he does it.

“Found it. Here we go, honey.” He renews his efforts. Straining, a thin layer of sweat slicks our bodies. My eyes squeeze shut when I tumble over again, my pussy clenching his cock as he drives deep again and again. I claw at his arms, pull his hair and scream in his ear.

His release follows and is as animalistic as mine. His male growl a shout of completion and his grip on my ass bruising.

He drops his forehead on my shoulder and I lean my head back against the wall. He’s still holding me there, but there’s a slight shake in his arms.

“Fox.”

“In a minute,” he mumbles into my skin.

“You don’t have to hold me here.” I giggle. “I can stand on my own.”

“Good.” He lifts his handsome face, eyelids at half-mast, blue eyes cloudy with spent desire, hair a wreck from my merciless pulling. “One problem.”

“What’s that?”

He puts a quick kiss on my lips and then whispers, “You feel nice.”

“You feel nice, too.” We grin like dopes before he relents and pulls from of my warmth. I lower my toes to the ground and he makes sure I’m steady before releasing me. He doesn’t walk away. He stays, palms flattened on the wall, and lowers his lips for a sweet kiss.