Sandy
Her plan had been borne from desperation.
Somehow Palin had come in and dispatched Rusty’s farmhands with terrifying ease. They’d gone running like coyotes before a donkey, fleeing scared into the night. She’d seen him throw a man through her window, and pitch a second through her door in a feat of strength that defied belief.
Now that same strength was benefitting her, as she ran her arms over his biceps of steel and his titanium-like chest. He was so solid. Everywhere she touched he felt like he was carved from stone or shaped from molten-hot metal. There wasn’t a bit of softness to his body. Not even between his legs.
Adrenaline had driven her this far—well, adrenaline and a mix of curiosity she refused to admit to—but as it began to fade, reality started to set in. She was kissing Palin. She, Sandy Talbert, was locking lips with the hunky hired help.
Oh, and she wasn’t just liking it, she was loving it. His strength, so strong and powerful with the intruders, was gentle and supportive with her. Fingers of steel were no more than brushes of velvet across her cheek as he stroked her face. Soft lips parted once more, his tongue hungry and demanding, but light and warm in touch, a vertebrae-tingling combination that had her melting into a puddle in his arms.
Her plan was working, and working better than she’d ever imagined.
Better? Or worse?
When he’d somehow wormed his way into her confidences in a matter of a few conversations and convinced her to accept his offer of help, Sandy had never envisioned that it would end up like this. On the table, legs wrapped around his waist, and the beefy hunk of man-meat kissing her like she was all he ever wanted. After all, who expected that?
Things had changed rapidly, and despite her continual denials of his advances, she’d let herself open up to him more and more. It had all been leading to this. It had always been leading to this, she realized.
Palin’s hands began to wander from her back and face, running over her ribs and cupping her ass. He made no attempt to remove her clothes. Not yet. Not with the rain coming inside. She gasped in surprise when one of his hands slid up her inner leg and didn’t stop, brushing against her, making her ache for more.
When she didn’t stop him, her mind too preoccupied with the pleasurable sensations he was feeding it, Palin continued. Each time his index finger found her peak, leaving her throbbing and panting in his grasp.
It didn’t take long for his sure touch to push Sandy further than anyone had ever gone before. Her thighs shivered and shook, threatening to slide down if she didn’t focus on keeping them in the air, giving Palin the ability to work his magic. Her nails dug into his shoulders as she hung on for dear life.
“It’s okay,” he whispered into her ear, running his tongue over the outer edge, from top to bottom and back again.
Sandy nearly climaxed then and there. Her eyes shot open. The ear had never been an erogenous place for her, but the way Palin touched her she knew that she had to have more. Quietly she begged, pulling on his head as well until he got the point.
Another shiver more powerful than the last rippled down her spine, the flesh tightening, making the hairs stand on end. She was so close, the edge to the abyss near. It wouldn’t take long for Palin to force her over it. Sandy didn’t have to do anything; she just needed to let him go on. At any point she could stop him, but she didn’t. Her breath came in short gasps, lungs working overtime to compensate.
“Palin,” she moaned.
The pressure of his hand increased without warning, and instead of falling over the edge, Sandy slid off it like a runaway boulder, freefalling into the abyss beyond. Her arms tightened around his neck and she shouted his name, her body convulsing into him. Palin held her tight, moving in time with her, slowing as she did. Then Sandy was draped across him, shuddering as her body slowly came down from the high of an orgasm.
“Oh wow,” she gasped eventually, at a loss to say anything more profound. Her brain was more than a little mush, and so her word choice was limit. “Wow.”
He smiled and kissed her forehead with that same gentle tenderness that seemed out of place from a man so large. She basked in the heat pouring off him, letting the warmth drive out anything else, snuggling into it and relaxing as she enjoyed the high that came with such a powerful release. Would it always be like that with him?
A part of her wanted to find out then and there, craving more. Reality intruded upon that dream however, as a particularly powerful gust of wind splashed them both with rain as it lashed at the house. Overhead it drummed wildly against the roof as well. She sat up, her spine straightening from the cool droplets. Palin took that as a sign she was ready for more, and they began to kiss again.
She rested her hands lightly on his chest, then as her resolve hardened she pushed against him, separating them. “Palin.”
He stopped immediately, perhaps recognizing the tone of her voice. “What’s wrong?”
She shivered. “Nothing’s wrong. It just doesn’t feel…right. Do you understand?”
Palin hesitated and Sandy cringed, wondering if he was going to lose his cool knowing that she had to stop things there. For now, and possibly forever. The adrenaline was wearing off, and she was suddenly unsure of just what to do next. Everything was so scary, and her life seemed ready to go off the rails.
Just a few weeks earlier she’d been on her own, working her ass off to make ends meet. Then everything had changed, starting with Palin barging into her life, and ending with Rusty’s goons coming to intimidate her into selling.
She shivered again, but this time it wasn’t the cold. It was another memory that cropped up. Of a time before farms and fields. Back when she was a city-girl and an office executive. She recalled another house, and a situation similar to this one.
Palin spoke, bringing her back to the present. “It’s not the right time, is it?”
Shaking her head slowly she gave him a sad smile. “No, it’s not.”
“Okay.” He bobbed his head a few times and backed off. “I guess I’ll go get those tarps then. Get those set up until I can have the window replaced.” He glanced over at the gaping hole and winced. “Sorry again about that.”
Sighing with exaggerated drama, she waved one hand at him regally. “I suppose that since you broke it while coming to my rescue, that just this once I can forgive you.”
They laughed. She enjoyed moments like that where they could just have fun together. It made her feel…connected.
“Why thank you. Your generosity knows no bounds,” he chuckled, bowing low.
“I know,” she said primly, before sobering. “I have no idea where I’m going to find the money to replace it though. What are the odds the tarps are heat insulating? It’s going to be winter soon.”
Palin frowned. “I’ll be replacing the window. I broke it after all.”
She started to argue, but a sharp glare from Palin stopped her. It appeared he was determined to do this. Sandy hated the idea of charity, but his fierce look wasn’t something she wanted to argue with. “Okay,” she agreed, capitulating.
“I’m also sleeping in here tonight,” he stated. “On the couch, but I’m not letting you stay on your own tonight.”
“I have Champ.”
Palin nodded. “I know. And Champ agrees I should stay on the couch.”
Her dog didn’t make a sound, still watching the rest of the house from close by, but she saw the animal’s approval of Palin in general reflected in the way his side was turned to the big man in a sign of trust. Champ didn’t expect an attack from Palin.
She caved, realizing it would be pointless to protest. Palin seemed to have a protective streak when it came to her, and he was in full bodyguard mode just then. “Okay. But you’re on the couch, no matter what just happened.”
He inclined his head slightly. “You’re the boss.”
Sandy couldn’t help but wonder if that were the truth or not. Palin had a sway over her. It just remained to be seen how strong.