Without breaking the kiss, Demetri hauled Mary into his arms. Her sweetness and her passion intoxicated him. The tangy aroma of the green jasmine tea she loved clung to her lips, much the way Mary hugged him. Damn, he didn't know the name of that tea but he needed to find out. It was fast becoming his favorite flavor.

Now, where was he headed? For a moment, he hesitated, debating their destination, which took far longer than it should have. The throbbing tightness in his blue jeans rendered rational thought damn near impossible. He desperately needed to adjust his pants, but his hands were full of this deliciously curvaceous woman. He refused to put her down for fear she would change her mind and scamper off. The hidden delights of her open mouth proved an irresistible distraction. He plundered her with a thrusting tongue, and the needy whimper that tore from her throat almost proved his undoing.

The need to breathe reached shrieking urgency. Demetri broke the kiss, downed a huge gulp of air, and staggered a pace. He still didn't know where to go. His room in the bunkhouse, which was located inside the barn, made the most sense, but the box spring mattress creaked something awful, and besides, it was about as comfortable as a bed of rocks. The house promised better accommodations. At the moment, given his current physical state, the trip out of the barn, across the yard, and up two flights of stairs seemed unreasonably daunting. He doubted he'd make it without doubling over or tripping over his own dick.

"There's clean straw in the third stall." Mary tapped his cheek. She sounded impatient and amused over his crippling disability.

Demetri focused on her and blinked owlishly. All the blood in his body had pooled in his crotch; it was a miracle his heart had anything left to pump. His mind operated at half speed as though his thoughts were mired in maple syrup.

"To your right." Mary leveled an imperious finger and sniggered. Demetri clenched his jaws in irritation. The wench found his predicament amusing, did she?

Sweet revenge would be his, but first he intended to follow her instructions. Obligingly, he carried her to the stall. He fumbled with the latch on the gate and somehow got it open even though he felt as though he had ten thumbs and two left feet. In his arms, Mary gripped the front of his flannel shirt and ripped the buttons open. She nipped at his throat with her pearly teeth and then plied him with an apologetic kiss.

"You're bitey tonight." Chuckling, Demetri toppled them over. He landed on his back on the sweet-smelling bed of fresh straw. Mary sprawled across the top of him, her sexy breasts flattened against his chest. The woman embodied the perfect blend of soft and firm, supple and voluptuous, and she got him so horny he couldn't see straight.

"It's not my fault you're so tasty." Mary flailed her limbs about while she righted herself. Once upright, she straddled his outstretched legs.

"Feisty, too," he added with a smile until she rubbed her hands over the front of his jeans. Then his grin morphed to a throaty groan. Within the confines of his pants, his cock throbbed and his balls ached. Too tight...too much pressure. He thought for sure he'd explode.

"You're making this hard," Mary complained, fumbling with his fly. Their frantic efforts to undress each other complicated the whole process. They kept getting in each other's way, but it was the best kind of tumble. Pure fun.

"Welcome to my life."

"Baad pun."

He lacked a witty reply. It required all his concentration to help her out of her top and the damnably complicated contraption she called a bra. He fumbled, fat-fingered, wishing for patience or a knife, though he doubted she would appreciate having her undergarment sliced to pieces.

Persistence prevailed. The last hook came undone, and Mary's gorgeous breasts spilled into his eager hands. His reward. Demetri agitated her nipples with his thumbs. He cupped her bosom tight and laved his tongue across the perky points. He sealed his lips over her areola and sucked gently. She tasted as sweet and delicate as clover nectar.

Mary released a stuttering sigh. Finally she got his fly open, and it was a blessing when she freed him. His erect penis proudly tented his boxers. In relief, he gasped for breath, inadvertently freeing her breast. She slid down his body.

When she tugged on the waistbands of his pants and underwear, he lifted his hips, making it easier for her to drag the material down his thighs. Pieces of straw poked his bare skin. All in all, it was a bit dry and scratchy, but he barely registered the discomfort. His obsessive attention centered on the light brush of her fingers across his skin. Tense anticipation coiled in his belly, especially when Mary stroked his abdomen, following the furry line that ran from his navel to his crotch.

"Wow, that looks painful." Mary puckered her mouth and hovered her hand mere millimeters over his erect penis, but the sadistic little tease didn't touch him.

"It is," Demetri grated through clenched teeth. His molars ground together, producing a thoroughly unpleasant crunch, and his jaws ached. Making a concentrated effort, he strove to relax. Meditation eluded him, and his attempt at even respiration sounded more like phone stalker huffing.

"It's turning purple." Wearing angelic innocence, Mary bent over so her riot of curls tumbled over her face. Those corkscrews grazed his skin—more teasing torture—the same as the hot puff of her breath.

"Mary, please." Demetri moaned and fisted his hands to stop himself from grabbing her head.

"Please? Please what?" She snickered and at last wrapped her hand about the base of his shaft.

A month ago, if someone had told Demetri that a woman could reduce him to begging with just a bit of foreplay, he wouldn't have believed them. Now, resistance didn't even occur to him and a plea rolled off his tongue.

"Please, suck me." A moan tore from his throat and he jerked his hips in an involuntary reaction, thrusting toward her. The uncontrolled motion jabbed the crown of his dick against her petal soft lips. The all-too-brief brush with heaven propelled him even deeper into need.

"There's a good boy." Through a veil of curls, she cast him a coy glance. Amusement gleamed in her eyes and a smile danced on her lips. With a soft hum, Mary wrapped her hand around the base of his aching rod. Her tentative touch heightened his torment. "Is this what you want?"

"Yes, please." Demetri quelled the impulse to roll his hips again. From beneath hooded eyelids, he watched as Mary explored his body. She was so fucking sexy it just blew his mind. He understood the importance of her fledgling foray into sexual independence. She was so much different now—more confident and playful— than their first time together. Watching Mary come into her power filled him with a sense of wonder and awe. And he felt honored to be the man worthy of her trust.

Mary flicked her tongue across his cockhead again. She pumped him with her fist, setting a slow and steady rhythm. Gradually her grip grew firmer, and she reached between his legs to cup his balls. Fondling him, she swirled her tongue about him. It was exquisite.

"That's it. Like that," Demetri muttered in encouragement. He clenched his fists at his sides, and the sinews in his back were drawn so tight it hurt. Hanging onto his sanity by his fingernails, he controlled his breathing. Lying flat on his back, he had an unchanging view of the rafters above the stall. He counted and recounted six knots on the wooden beams before lethargy dragged his eyelids shut.

When Mary took his member into her mouth, he released a guttural groan. So hot and wet... Bobbing her head, she sucked and stroked his iron-hard cock. Raw pleasure spread from his groin to his abdomen. His control melted into a miasma of want and need.

Pressure built. Sweat slicked his entire body, and his heart hammered in his chest. A growl wrung his throat. Demetri dug his fists into the bed of straw and arched his hips off the floor. His scrotum tugged and tightened with an impending climax.

Seconds before he achieved completion, Mary ended it. She popped his dick out of her mouth. Cool air washed over his damp skin. Stunned, Demetri dragged his eyes open but all he could do was lay there gasping. If required to speak at that precise moment, he couldn't have managed more than an incoherent string of gibberish.

* * *

Desperate to satisfy her own hunger, Mary sat upright, straddling Demetri's thighs. Her admiring gaze lingered over her lover's proud cock, now pressed flat against his belly. Damn, he was magnificent. His skin glistened with a coat of her saliva and his perspiration. From the way his length jerked and his balls drew taut, it was obvious she'd left him right on the cusp of climax.

Temptation called to her. A part of her wanted to take him back to her mouth and finish what she'd started. The intensity of her arousal made it impossible to wait, though. She ached to have him inside her. If he came, she'd have to wait while he recuperated. Right at that moment, even Demetri's remarkable recovery rate wasn't fast enough.

She shot to her feet.

"Mary," Demetri uttered her name with a gargled groan.

"I'm sorry. Stopping like that was mean. I promise I'll make it up to you."

"It's not that what I meant." Demetri remained flat on his back, watching her from beneath his hooded gaze. The poor man seemed thoroughly discombobulated by blowjob interruptus. She'd have laughed but she wasn't in much better shape.

"No?" Mary asked, not really paying attention.

Clumsy with eagerness, she unfastened her pants and kicked off her shoes. Eager to be rid of the rest of her garments, she almost tripped and fell. Her super-curly tresses tumbled into her face, obscuring her vision, and tickled her nose. She blew out a stream of breath. Her bangs lifted and then fell right back into place as though to taunt her. Her impatience bounded over the moon. If someone had handed her a pair of scissors right that second, she'd have snipped a wide swath off. Tossing her head, she flipped her hair back. Stripping seemed to take forever, but she finally rid herself of the last stitch of clothing.

"No." Demetri lifted his head.

"What did you mean?" She didn't want him escaping. To that end, she dropped back into the saddle again. Astride his lap, she grasped his shoulders. Their crotches bumped together. His turgid shaft rubbed against her slick sex. A needy whimper wrung from her throat.

Oh god. He felt incredible.

She wanted to have him inside her in the worst way possible, to fuck and be fucked by him. But that wasn't the entirety of her desire. Mary needed to make love to Demetri, and to be loved in return. The thought gave her pause and propelled her straight into a shocking realization: her adoration for Demetri eclipsed any other passion she'd ever known. It frightened her senseless. When had the L-word entered her vocabulary? Could he...did he care for her in the same way?

"We need protection." Demetri performed a neat sit up. He settled his hands on her hips, fingers splayed across her buttocks, steadying her.

"Protection?" Mary parroted the word which echoed through her mind, a sound devoid of meaning. Her mind went perfectly blank before she crashed headfirst into a brick wall. Ooohhh, protection... DUH! It left her vaguely horrified that she'd been so caught up in the moment that she'd completely forgotten.

"I have a pack of condoms in my room." Based on the way he frowned, Demetri wasn't thrilled with the prospect of having to trek naked through the barn to get them.

"It's okay. I have one." Mary twisted around, scanning for her pants. Now where the heck had those gotten to? In her haste, she almost missed Demetri's skepticism.

"You do?"

"In my jeans. If I could only— Ah-ha!" She leaned over and stretched out her arm, straining her fingers to reach the waddled ball of denim beside the stall wall. She managed to snag the leg and dragged the pants over to her. She shoved her fingers into the front packet and fished out a foil packet.

"Why are you carrying around condoms? You told me no more sex," Demetri asked in a deceptively mild tone which might've concealed amusement or anger. Impossible to tell.

Oh, crap! She'd been caught! Mary froze for a second and stole a nervous glance at his face. His expression was every bit as inscrutable. To cover her nervousness, she ripped open the package with her teeth and dropped her gaze. The revelation didn't seem to have affected his readiness—his manhood stood at full attention.

"Mary?" Demetri tightened his grip on her hips, a not-so-subtle reminder that he was the only reason she continued to remain vertical. Poor guy sounded like he was at his wit's end. After all, she had brought him to the verge of climax and stopped.

"Uh, it was just a precaution?" Mary grasped the thick base of his cock. Oh boy, the man was a literal handful. When she rolled on the condom, Demetri grunted low and deep in his chest.

"Just a precaution?" His mask slipped, and mirth edged his voice. His shoulders shook with silent laughter. Tension bled from Mary's body.

She huffed. "All right, fine. I was secretly hoping to get laid."

"All you had to do was ask." He threw back his head and guffawed.

"I couldn't. I'd already told you no sex." She pursed her lips, pantomiming proper primness, and then succumbed to a fit of giggles.

Laughing, they came together.

Facing Demetri, Mary stretched out her legs and interlaced her fingers behind his neck. With his help, she lifted her hips, centered his crown against her entrance, and then sank slowly onto him. His thickness stretched her channel. She widened her eyes and gasped. The glorious experience of having him inside her defied her memories of their first time together. If anything, he exceeded her already sky-high expectations, maybe because, during their previous encounter, she'd been tight and tender following a lengthy period of abstinence. Now, her body welcomed him home.

"Fuck, you're tight." Strain etched his face as he entered her slowly. Thank goodness for his solid strength; otherwise, she would've plunged straight onto him. He kept her steady and slowed her descent until, at last, he'd fully penetrated her.

"And you're thick." Mary narrowed her eyes and added a devilish hint of humor to her words.

"Talk about a double entendre." Demetri snickered and lifted his hand to capture a stray strand of her hair. He tucked it behind her ear.

"A double entendre sounds physically demanding. Maybe next time," she said, and he groaned.

By unspoken mutual consent, they parted and came together. Initially, their uneven rhythm resulted in a rough ride—mismatched strokes, short here but long there, and rough grappling that kept them together. But soon enough, they got a feel for each other and things evened out.

Always an apt student, Mary learned being on top allowed her to dictate the pace of their lovemaking. Demetri seemed content to surrender control. The discovery delighted her. Her ex-husband had never shared power even in bed. As much as she hated comparing the two men, she couldn't help herself. Demetri somehow took it a step further and empowered her.

When he kissed her, she got hooked on the addictive flavor of desire. She settled into an even cadence, and discovered a delightful angle of descent that allowed her to rub her clit against his pubic bone. Each stroke wrung a paroxysm of pleasure from her core.

Heaven...it was heaven.

"Demetri! Oh my god." Mary called out his name in prayerful exuberance. She got lost in the delightful union of their bodies. The outside world ceased to exist. Nothing impinged on her awareness except the beautiful man in her arms.

Their pace escalated to a race. Breakneck desperation. Their heated, sweat-slick bodies slapped together, and a constant roar filled Mary's ear. It reminded her of the crashing waves of the Pacific as they pounded against the shore. Never a more perfect analogy; Demetri hammered into her, driving his cock deep into her core, and Mary shouted as she crested.

Fireworks burst through Mary as her orgasm erupted fast and hard. Starbursts filled her vision. She clenched in a convulsion that was both excruciating and ecstasy. Endless perfection.

Seconds after she climaxed, Demetri followed her over the edge. He leaned back, propping his arms, and lifted his hips off the floor. Within her, his cock jerked, pumping his seed. His powerful shout filled her ears, drowning out all else.

In the aftermath, they clung together like shell-shocked survivors. Mary pillowed her head on Demetri's chest and rested in his arms. Never before had she felt so safe and cherished. A measureless eternity passed before either of them moved. Eventually, though, life's little discomforts impinged on her bliss.

"My back itches," Mary complained.

He snickered. "Do you want me to scratch it?"

"Yes, but I need to get up." She shifted on his lap, meaning to gather herself, but he tightened his arms around her.

"I don't want to let you go."

"I'm sorry." She needed to pee, too, but kept the information to herself, deeming it TMI. They weren't that comfortable yet.

She expected Demetri to tell her not to apologize. But he offered her a heart-stopping smile and said, "Thank you, Mary."

"For what?"

"Thank you for changing your mind about being my lover. Tonight was beautiful." Demetri squeezed her shoulders and feathered a kiss across her lips. From any other man, the gratitude would've sounded like a glib line. Demetri said it with an endearing touch of uncertainty, as though he feared rejection.

She drew in a sharp breath. How could such a sinfully handsome man doubt himself so? Stammering, she said, "You're welcome," and then she blushed, because it was impossible to do otherwise.