“It was much pleasanter at home,” thought poor Alice, “when one wasn’t always growing larger and smaller, and being ordered about by mice and rabbits. I almost wish I hadn’t gone down the rabbit-hole—and yet—and yet—. . .”
―Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
Alice
“You do realize you’ve set up the perfect honey trap,” I said.
Dare chuckled to himself. “Is that right?”
I had my heels off and was laying on my stomach in front of his fireplace. He had poured us a couple of whiskeys and started building a fire.
I kept petting the rug underneath me. “It’s a good thing I’m a proper carnivorous Southerner by the way,” I said, brushing my cheek back and forth. “Because I don’t even care that this is an animal skin rug. I swear, laying on this thing is like experiencing the softness of heaven right here on earth.”
“Should I leave the two of you alone?”
I narrowed my eyes into playful slits. “Don’t tease. Because I think I may live on this rug patch for the rest of my days,” I said, propping my elbows on the rug and resting my chin on the heels of my palms. “Just don’t tell me what kind of animal it is, okay? Because then I’m going to picture its cute lil’ face and then the whole experience is ruined for me.”
His body shook with quiet laughter. “Yeah, if you knew, you wouldn’t be happy,” he said. He grabbed one of those long-nosed lighters and flicked the switch. “Although, if it’s any consolation, it was a gift from an early patron of mine.”
My mind started overthinking. “A woman?” I asked.
“Yes,” he said, stopping what he was doing to look over at me. Damn, he was so strong and beautiful. “Does that idea make you jealous?”
I let out a sigh. “I know I’m supposed to say ‘no,’ to feign indifference, but I’m not that built that way.”
His nostrils flared. “Good, because I’m not either.” He crawled over, his body a panther on the prowl as he flipped me over and his weight settled over mine. My hands immediately went under his shirt, needing to feel his skin, the muscles in his back taut as he hovered over me, gazing down.
“I like you wanting me,” he said as I stared up at him. Damn, my heart was pounding hard. I was sure he could feel it. “And I really like feeling your hands on me.”
I let my nails scratch down his back, which made his eyes get lazy, a groan humming in the back of his throat. “Shit, Dixie, I’m holding on to my control by a very weak thread.”
“Why?” I whispered, my hands sliding down past his waistband, cupping the globes of his perfect ass. “Don’t hold back.”
The clouds returned. “I don’t want to scare you off.”
“I don’t want that either,” I said. “But I promise, I’ll tell you if I feel overwhelmed.”
He studied me. “I need that, Dixie. I’m decent at reading people too, but I have to know the woman in my bed feels free to tell me anything, even if you’re worried I won’t like it.”
Something was working behind his eyes, his mind going somewhere.
“The same is true for you, City,” I said.
He gazed down at me, lines creased between his eyes.
“No holding back?” he asked.
“No holding back,” I said.
“Alright,” he expelled a breath he seemed to be holding. “Whatever this is, however long it is, I need exclusivity. I don’t want another man even thinking for a second he has a shot in there,” he said, his eyes darting, searching mine. “Can you give me that?”
As much as I loved groping his ass, I needed my hands to soothe him. I stroked his hair, rested the other hand along the crook of his neck, feeling his pulse racing.
This mattered to him, and, if I was to be honest with myself, it mattered to me too.
“Yes, I can give you that, City,” I said. “No other women for you either.”
He scoffed. “Please, I haven’t been with anyone in over a year,” he said.
I felt my jaw drop. “Is that true? How is that true?”
He searched my face. “You haven’t heard?”
My brows furrowed. “About what?”
“It’s not a ‘what,’ but a ‘who,’” he said.
He must be referring to that girl, Chloe, the one Rayna mentioned.
Dare must’ve seen a flash of recognition.
“So, you have heard,” he said, his lips pressed into a thin line.
“Only a name, not what happened,” I said. “Hey, we don’t need to share all our stories tonight, okay? There’s time.”
His shoulders dropped. “That sounds good.”
“Do I get you now?” I asked.
He broke into a huge smile. “You mean do I get you now?”
I opened my mouth to answer, but he had had enough talking. He kissed me, giving my body all his weight, the pressure feeling so good, centering me even as I was soaring. He gave all of himself in his kiss, his tongue playing with mine, his teeth tugging at my bottom lip. Wetness flooded in a delicious way between my legs.
“I-I need you,” I moaned as his mouth skimmed my jaw, his whiskers scraping against the skin of my neck and chest. I was on fire.
“Me too, Dixie,” he groaned, giving me space so I could unbutton his shirt, him practically ripping it off his arms before he turned me over on my stomach, taking my zipper in between his teeth and working it down.
Holy shit. I felt his mouth at the base of my spine, his tongue and lips working their way up as he slid my dress off my shoulders. He lifted himself off me so I could shimmy the rest away. He was on his knees, straddling my legs, and I turned around to see him unbuckling his belt.
“No,” I said, my hands taking over as I turned back onto my back. “That’s for me.”
I whipped the belt away, then undid his trousers, and he promptly moved his legs to kick them away. He was naked, lying beside me—the picture of rugged virility. He had curls of black chest hair with a trail leading to his generous and long cock, which laid heavy along his hip. He was muscular everywhere, with gorgeous thick thighs, taut abs and strong arms. He had some black curls around his cock, but he must’ve kept it trimmed because I could still see every part of him.
I was still in my bra and underwear, so I unsnapped the back hooks and slowly let my bra fall away. His lips parted and his cock twitched. Just looking at him, feeling his longing for me amped my need.
“You’re beautiful everywhere,” he said, reaching over, his arms snaking around my waist, pulling me to him. I was now flush against him, his scent and warmth enveloping us. My nipples were hard points, my breasts heavy and sensitive, sparking desire through my body as they rubbed against the hairs of his broad chest.
“You feel amazing,” I said, before he started kissing me again and rubbing his large cock between my legs. I was already slick with arousal and he groaned when he felt it.
“Fuck, Dixie, you’re already wet for me.”
He was dragging the head of his length right along my center. My head lolled back as I held onto his shoulders, hitching a leg over his hip, grinding in tandem with him.
“I don’t want to come yet, but that feels so good,” I moaned.
I felt his mouth at my nipples, going back and forth, sucking and flicking my sensitive nubs while moving his hips, creating beautiful friction.
“I’m going to make you come a lot tonight,” he said, getting rougher, going faster. “I want to see you fall apart, and I’m going to use my dick, my fingers and my
mouth on you to make it happen.”
I couldn’t fully form a response with words. He was working delectable magic on my body. I had become only feeling.
“Oh God,” I said, my hips moving in time with his, my forehead resting against his. “I’m close. I-I can’t—
“You can, honey,” he insisted. My eyes were closed, but I could feel him watching me. “You’re going to keep rubbing that sweet pussy until you detonate all over my dick. Then I’m going to fuck you deep and eat you raw because I want to see all the different ways that gorgeous face looks when you’re falling apart.”
His dirty mouth sent me over the edge. I let out a silent scream, a mouth opened with no sound, my body convulsing in sweaty, sweet delirium.
“That’s it. Let go,” he whispered in my ear, then kissed along my neck,
rubbing his whiskers against my skin. I shivered from all the sensations and he hugged me tighter.
I opened my eyes as I came back.
“Hey,” he said, voice still rough with desire.
I smiled. “Hey right back at ya,” I said.
I let my hand slide down between us, wrapping it around him. My fingertips couldn’t even touch, his length was that thick. I started stroking.
“That feels good, but I want in,” he groaned.
“I want you in.”
He reached for his pants and took the condom out of his wallet. No surprise, it was one of those Magnum XL. I watched as he rolled it over himself, the fire flicking light and shadow between us.
I swallowed. “I hope you’ll fit,” I said, only half kidding.
He blanketed his body over mine, his cock resting between us, on my stomach.
“We’ll go slow, okay?” he asked, both his hands gently holding my head.
I nodded.
His eyes never left mine as he moved his hips. I opened my legs, feeling his cock drag until the tip was at my opening. He started off slow, but I was so wet, so ready, that he slid inside. No pain, but it was snug.
Once he could feel I was good, Dare thrusted fully inside. I swear, I felt him in my throat. And I loved it.
“Baby, it’s so good,” I moaned. “Don’t be gentle. I can take it.”
“Fuck, you’re perfect for me,” he said as he growled and pummeled into me. I grabbed his ass, pushing him as deep as he could go, until he rolled us over in one full sweep. I was on top.
“Ride me,” he said, his voice rough. “Work my cock with that sweet, tight pussy.” He then held on to my ass as I rode him, tilting my hips on the way down so I could get the exact right angle against my swollen clit. With each movement, I felt my need growing again, sparks of pleasure making every nerve in my body come alive and sing. My ample breasts bounced. His torso jacked up, wrapping his arms around me, his mouth finding my nipples, sucking deep, feeling so hungry I felt his groans right between my legs along with his cock. His thighs pressed against my back. I was surrounded by everything Dare. And when he reached down between us and rubbed me in time with our thrusts, that was it.
There was nothing silent this time. Waves of electric pleasure exploded, making me come hard and moan louder and longer than I ever had in my life. City followed right behind me, his moans almost a growl. Even with the condom, I swore I still felt him come, searing and strong.
It was a good thing he was holding me because I felt dizzy, my head becoming feather light, like it wasn’t connected to my body any more.
His breath was hot against my chest, coming out in short pants as he tried to catch his breath. He wasn’t the only one. I cradled his head in my arms, resting my cheek against his soft, thick hair.
I felt my eyes getting heavy, drifting off, when he got up in a quick motion, holding me by the waist and under my bottom.
“Where are we going?”
“I want you in my bed,” he said, walking us through his apartment, the city alight through his wall of floor-to-ceiling windows. It was like watching a swirl of lights, millions of lit dots morphing into sinewy, parallel lines.
I think I was tipsy from the whiskey.
He kicked open his bedroom door and laid me down in the center of the bed holding the condom in place while sliding out of me.
“I’ll be right back,” he said, giving a quick kiss to my belly before sauntering to the bathroom. Even though he was built like a lumberjack, he moved with a graceful ease. I loved watching his body, with only the moon and city lights coming in. Walking back towards the bed, I noticed he was still mostly erect.
“You keep staring at my dick like that and I’m going to have to fuck you again,” he said, unable to keep the grin off his face.
I guffawed. “That’s not the deal breaker you think it is,” I said, wiping my eyes. “I’m just surprised to see you’re almost ready to go again.”
He took a knee to the bed and crawled over, and as soon as he laid down I rolled into him. Without hesitation, he enveloped his body around mine. I nestled my face in his neck, breathing in.
He chuckled. “Are you sniffing me?”
I gave a quick nip. “I am. Deal with it,” I said, liking how he played with my hair, running his fingers through it. “I like the way you smell.”
“Same. You taste like sugar and smell like jasmine and coconut, like I’m on vacation,” he said, letting out a soft laugh.
“You know, recent studies are reporting that the apocrine glands hold special promise as the source of smells that might affect interpersonal interactions.”
His lips were pressed to the top of my head. I felt them break out in a big smile. “I’ve been wondering when I was going to get a slice of that hot, geek brain of yours. Continue.”
Now it was my turn to smile. I couldn’t help it. I liked the fact that he got off on my inner nerd girl.
“Well, all the other glands have uses that have been identified. But the apocrine glands aren’t for temperature-managing functions in people, as they are in other animals. They occur in dense concentrations on hands, cheeks, scalp, breast areolas, and wherever we possess body hair—and are only functional after puberty, when we begin searching for mates.”
He snorted. “So, are you saying you primarily drawn to me because of my apocrine gland secretions?”
“Not if you keep using the word secretions, I won’t be,” I said while
running my palm back and forth over his chest hair, liking how it tickled. “And, for future reference, I also loathe the words gelatinous, moist, viscous flaccid and yeast.
He cracked up. “Those are truly awful,” he said, while tilting my head, looking into my eyes. “Do you have a list of words that turn you on?”
“You turn me on. You and that dirty mouth.”
“Oh yeah?” he asked through a sly grin.
“Are you kidding? I thought I was going to come just from listening to you.”
His eyes searched mine for a couple of seconds. “That reminds me . . . we’ve gone through this whole evening and we haven’t even talked about your case study, the one for Professor Inappropriate.”
“My sister would sure agree with that nickname,” I said. “And you’re right. I can’t believe I forgot to bring it up. But now that you have, what do you want to know?”
He shrugged, rolling onto his back, elbows out and hands cushioning his head. “I don’t know. I guess I’m curious what it entails.”
“Well, I’m supposed to keep a written record of our relationship. You aren’t required to, but if you wanted to keep a log, it’s certainly encouraged.”
“I guess I can do that. What else?” he asked.
I rolled onto my stomach, propping myself up on my elbows. “Well, he’d love it if we had one of the major categories of sexual dysfunction, but I’m thinking we’re going to disappoint the hell out of him, if tonight’s any indication.”
“True, but I imagine a lot of couples start off hot and heavy, with issues coming up later.”
“Yeah, I wouldn’t know. I’ve only ever had one serious relationship and my desire for him lessened because I realized he was an entitled ass, not because of some psycho-biological malady. And growing up, I didn’t exactly have models of sexually healthy relationships. What about you?”
He scrubbed his hand over his face. “I don’t think she ever got over my father,” he said, staring out at nothing in particular. “She dated after him, but I rarely saw the same guy come around more than twice. She says she got her one great love and the rest were just someone to go to dinner with, but I never bought that.”
“That’s kind of sad,” I said.
He grimaced. “Yeah, well, for some, the heart is a resilient muscle, but for others, when their heart breaks, they’re eviscerated and they just don’t have it in them to put the pieces back together. That’s my mom. It wasn’t about getting over the man. It was about not getting over the hurt. She never trusted any man after that and she certainly drilled it into my head to not be an asshole, especially to women.”
“It sounds like they’re one and the same,” I said, staring off. “I had to take this upper level bio class in undergrad where the professor showed us a cadaver’s heart. Inside were all these tiny tendons. They looked like heart strings. He said it’s not uncommon for these tendons to break, especially after a deep emotional trauma. Enough of them break and the heart loses form and is unable to pump blood the way it needs to, leading to heart failure. It’s called broken heart syndrome.”
He didn’t say anything for a while.
Eventually, his eyes found mine in the dark. “All the more reason why I’m glad I let what you said when we first met sink in.”
I drew a blank. “What did I say?”
“About me being an asshole, saying either I was always one or had become one. That I had shown you my true colors.”
Ah, now I remember.
“Well, I like you now,” I said, patting his chest.
He laughed. “Well, I hope so,” he said, grabbing my wrist and pulling me over him. I laid on top, skin to skin. “I’m realizing something.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“I never got dessert tonight,” he said, his cock growing hard between us. “And I’m still hungry.”
“Oh my God, you’re kidding, right? I’m still so full,” I said.
He stilled. “Not that kind of hungry, Dixie.”
I barely got the “oh” out when he grabbed hold under my arms and hoisted me forward and up, so I was straddling his face.
“Now, feed me what we both need.”
It was a request I was happy to oblige.
Needless to say, I didn’t get much sleep that night.