Up the Chimney Page 6

  He removed her thong and dropped it on their pile of discarded clothes. Both of his palms rested on the inside of her thighs. “Spread your legs for me, baby.”

  She did and his fingers opened her folds before his tongue made a slow sweep along her slit. Not once, but four fantastic times. Just before she lost her mind to the passion beating in her veins, his tongue changed tactics and circled her clit, yet never touching it. Those soft whiskers of his added another layer of thrill. She needed the contact. God, her climax was so close, she trembled with it.

  “You taste so sweet.” He inserted a finger in her channel and then another. He slowly slid them in and out her moist opening as his tongue continued its magic.

  “I…I’m so close.” She curled her fingers into the quilt. “I need…I need…”

  “What, baby? This?” And he gently sucked on her clit, laving his tongue over it.

  Someone in the room expelled a primal cry. She shook so violently with the power of her release, it was a moment before she realized it had been her. He shifted upward and cradled her in his arms as she slowly, piece by shattered piece, united into herself again—the same woman, yet different.

  He kissed her, holding her tightly against him. “Are you okay, sweetheart?”

  She nodded against his neck. Speaking right now was impossible. He kissed her again and then sat to remove his boxers. He snagged his jeans, removing a condom from a pocket and tore the packet open. With quick, sure movements, he encased himself in latex.

  “You’re an awfully big man.” Her gaze flicked from his impressive erection to his face. Her ex-husband was smaller and it had been years since she’d had sex. She hoped she could handle him.

  “Nah, not much more than normal.” He had the audacity to wink before he lay over her, his hands wrapped around her head, his fingers sifting through her hair. “I used to go for women with long hair, until you walked in with these short, sexy, silky curls. It’s always sexy messy as if you’ve just been seriously fucked.” He kissed her. “Sweet Lord, the fantasies I’ve had about your hair.”

  “You’re deranged.” She laughed. No one ever said that about her hair before.

  His mouth met hers again. This was a kiss of branding and pure possession as if, in the silence of the mating of their lips, he issued a primal roar that she was his. Her toes curled. Her soul melted. Oh, this man could definitely kiss.

  “I’m going to make you shriek. I’m planning on making you scream my name. Hell, when I’m through with you, the neighbors are going to need a fucking cigarette.” Leaning slightly to the side, his hand slipped between them and his fingers manipulated her clit. She’d never been one to have more than one orgasm at a time, so the impending tightening in her lower abdomen was a surprise. Prickles of desire skittered across her damp skin as her body prepared for him. This time she wanted to feel him inside her when she came.

  She couldn’t wait any longer. Her hand wrapped around his cock and positioned the head at her entrance. “I need you inside me. Now!”

  He slowly inched in. “Sweet Jesus. You’re so wet. So fucking tight. Stop moving, baby, or I’ll shoot my load before I get all the way in.” He leaned his forehead against hers and inhaled slowly. “You will kill me with all this sweet, sexy beauty on the outside and now that I’m there—” he pushed in farther, “—the sexiness is just as great on the inside.”

  Could she believe the words he spoke? Now was not the time for old insecurities. Now was the time to enjoy. She slid her hands across his shoulders and took a few deep breaths to relax so she could handle his girth. “You feel great, too.” And he did.

  His head inclined again, his lips finding hers and taking charge. Her fingers slid through his dark hair as she kissed him back, mating his tongue with hers. She wrapped her legs around his hips and he groaned in approval. His slow movements increased to a more intense pace and her world titled.

  “I’ve fantasized about this, about being inside you for too long. God, reality trumps fantasy.” He kissed her again, wildly this time sucking on her bottom lip.

  He shifted the angle of his hips and touched a spot inside her she didn’t know she had. Her eyes snapped open. “Yes! Right there! Oh, God and all the chocolate in the world…yes! Mason, yes!”

  She climaxed so hard she thought her eyes rolled back in her head. They had to for her world did a complete revolution on the floor of this man’s condo. And, all the while, her insides spasmed, making every part of her body tremble.

  A few more powerful strokes and his head reared back, his neck corded as he climaxed, too, shouting her name. Their arms clung to each other as sweet aftershocks racked their bodies. Both gasped for air, silent except for the drumming of their hearts pounding out a rhythm in unison.

  “Am I too heavy, baby?” He pulled out of her and she missed the intimate connection. He rolled over and stood, covering her with a blanket. “Be right back.” His firm ass was a fine sight as he strode through the kitchen and hallway to the bathroom.

  She couldn’t move. So she allowed her mind to replay all the physical feelings and emotions she’d just experienced. On a scale of one to ten, sex with Mason was definitely a sixteen. Dear Lord! He’d turned her on, twisted her inside out, and bent her sexuality into another dimension. Two climaxes! Seth always told her she was mentally incapable of having more than one. Then she reached the point where she could barely have any.

  Mason lifted the cover and stretched out beside her, pulling her into his embrace so they lay side-by-side. “You okay? You seem so far away?”

  “I had two climaxes!” she blurted. Hell that was a dumb thing to say. As if he wants to hear that.

  He kissed her hair. “I’ll try to do better next time. I’d just been thinking about making love to you for so damn long, my own needs kind of took over.” His soft lips covered hers and his hand swept down her spine to cover her ass. “I’m sorry if I didn’t make it good enough for you.”

  Was the man joking? It had been phenomenal. “Oh, hero, you’re getting this all wrong. I’ve never been able to have two orgasms. Another failure of mine, according to Seth.”

  “Seth was an ignorant asshat. If you were never able to have more than one orgasm, it was because he didn’t take the time with you. It’s a rule in the books.” He nodded with seriousness. “Having his lady climax again and again is a real turn-on for a guy.” Mason smiled and trailed his fingers over her hair. “Just as I thought. Your hair looks the same kind of sexy messy after a good fucking as it does on its own. Which for me, will be an aphrodisiac at work.” He kissed her again, long and slow. “Snuggle with me, baby, and sleep.”

  Something woke Ciera during the night. She wasn’t sure if it was the hard floor or the naked hot man wrapped around her or the erection poking her in the butt. Her muscles ached and she stretched to alleviate some of the stiffness. She missed the comfort of a bed. The gas fireplace gave off a quiet hiss while outside, the winds howled like banshees.

  She snuggled back against Mason, yawned, and relived their earlier love-making session. Was it so outstanding in her mind because it had been such a long dry spell for her? Or was it merely the excitement of a new lover? She’d only been with a couple guys before Seth. None of them really cared about her pleasure the way Mason seemed to. Would another round of sex with him carry the same punch?

  There was really only one way to find out. She yawned, almost too comfortable in her male cocoon to move. Her eyes drifted shut, then opened again with a fresh thought. A hard-on is such a terrible thing to waste.

  She rolled to face him, slung her leg over his hip, and guided his cock into her. Oh my, yes… Her hips began a slow rhythmic movement.

  A hand palmed her ass. “Ciera?” his sleepy voice sounded shocked. “What are you doing?”

  “Quiet. It’s an experiment. Move with me.”

  He yawned. “You mean like science stuff?”

  “Hush.”

  They lay on their sides, legs and arms entwined, their
hips slowly shifting in and out.

  “This is new for me. Waking up inside a woman. Damn, you feel good.”

  “Do that thing you do and hit that spot inside me. I never knew it was there.”

  He shifted his hips and darn if the head of his cock didn’t rub over a spot that made her wild. “Oh-h-h-h, sweet Lord, Mason.” Her fingernails scraped down his back and he groaned.

  “Baby, we need—”

  “No, don’t talk. Just make me feel things. Things I’ve never felt with another man. I need this so much.…need this, hero.”

  His fingers slipped between them and teased her clit while his hips pistoned into her. Before she could take a few breaths, tension coiled deep in her abdomen and her thighs began to quiver. Her fingernails dug into his back as a climatic tidal wave flooded her as did his sperm. But she wasn’t done. It was as if one climax drove her desire for another. She pushed him on his back, straddled him, and rode him hard until they both came again.

  The dishwasher was running and the lights were on when Mason’s cellphone rang. Her arms and legs were still wrapped around him like tentacles. She must have fallen asleep on top of him after her wild ride to paradise.

  His cell played its tune again. Ciera moaned and scrambled off him so he could locate his phone in his jeans. He glanced at the readout and smiled. “Hey, Jenna, what’s up? Sure, you know I’ve always got your back. I’ll be right over. No, I wasn’t in the middle of anything, babe. It’s no problem, beautiful.”

  God, could he be any more eager to get away from me?

  He rolled over and gave Ciera a quick kiss. “I have a friend who needs a ride to work. She’s a nurse in the emergency room of the hospital, so her job is important. Storm, or no storm, she needs to be there. I’ll be gone for a while. When I get back we need to talk about last night.” He jumped up and hustled back the hallway. “I’ll need a quick shower to wash off the sex smell.”

  Yeah, wouldn’t want Jenna, babe, to smell you’ve had sex with someone else.

  “Is this one of your friends with benefits?”

  He barked a laugh. “Yep. That she is.”

  Her stomach sank with a severe twist. So, he wanted to talk about last night, did he? Why? To tell her what she already knew? That she’d been relegated from recent conquest to his wide network of “besties with bennies.” That she really shouldn’t believe all he’d said. It was just the heat of the moment.

  Tears prickled the backs of her eyes. She had no one to blame, but herself. She’d heard the rumors about him, but she’d allowed his kisses and tender words to sway her emotions. A couple tears trickled back to her hairline and she wiped them away.

  She’d heard of the discomfort of the morning after a hot night of sex for the first time with someone. The awkwardness of it. She’d never experienced it before. Now she knew how painful, how devastating it could be. Did she have the right to voice her objections to his ditching her for another woman in the span of a phone call, a heartbeat? She had no holds on him. It wasn’t as if they were in a relationship. Still, the situation stung like hell.

  Minutes later, Mason charged to the hall closet and yanked out his coat, gloves, and scarf. He jammed his arms into the sleeves of his jacket. “I’ll be back in a while. We’ll talk then.”

  “Yeah, sure.” I’ll be long gone before you get back. You horny jerkwad. Just can’t wait to move onto another woman, can you? Think you put on enough cologne? I’m chocking here.

  His phone rang. “Yeah, sexy. Headed out the door now.” He pocketed his cell. “Bye, baby. Sorry, no time for a goodbye kiss.” His door opened and closed.

  She should have yelled at him. Should have told him how she felt. What a douchebag he was to call another woman “sexy” and “babe” in front of her. She jumped to her feet and a tiny trickle of wetness flowed. She stared at the lone condom wrapper on the floor. Cold dread gripped her lungs. There had to be another one. She picked up Mason’s clothes from last night. Shook them. Nothing.

  She got dressed in a hurry. Maybe the wrapper was in the blankets. She picked one up, shook it out, and folded it. Still nothing. Frantic now, she did the same to the quilts spread on the floor.

  There had to be another condom wrapper…somewhere. Right? They’d had sex twice. Grabbing a flashlight, she got on her knees and searched under all the furniture. Maybe he’d had it with him when he went back for his shower. She hurried to the door at the end of the hallway. Checking the wastepaper cans, she found nothing. On a panic-fueled quest, now, she looked in every trash container in his condo.

  Nothing.

  Nada.

  Zip.

  She’d had unprotected sex with Mr. Friends-with-bennies and he’d come twice.

  Holy hell.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Talk about fleeing from your mistakes, Ciera practically ran out of Mason’s condo. Her feet fairly flew down the steps to the front door of his building. What were the chances of her getting pregnant? She did a quick calculation and cursed.

  She couldn’t think about it now. Right now she had to get as far away from Mason Holt as she could. She’d moved a few things in his condo, which was spiteful. But she’d been driven by jealousy and pain.

  Her boots crunched their way through a combination of ice and snow above her calves to reach her SUV. There was one set of tracks going the opposite way from the entrance to the complex, starting at Mason’s parking spot. Did Jenna…sexy babe…whoever…live in the same development? How convenient. Yes, she was envious. Why deny the emotion? It was too real to ignore.

  By the time she opened the hatch to the back of her Land Rover, her feet and lower legs were nearly numb. It was so freaking cold she shivered. She removed the shovel and cleared a path to her driver’s door. Climbing in, she started the engine and snagged the ice scraper Mason had used last night.

  Her side of the windshield was cleared when Mason’s black Wrangler eased by. Both he and the long-haired passenger were laughing. Even in the pre-dawn pinkish-gray, she could tell the woman leaned over and kissed him. Ciera’s breath steamed with so much anger, it damn near melted the snow on the other side of the windshield.

  Once her windows were clean and the distance from her back tires to the Jeep’s tracks was shoveled, Ciera shifted her SUV into four-wheel drive and backed out of the parking spot. Following in Mason’s tire-tracks, she exited his condo complex onto a street with more tracks. It hadn’t been plowed yet which made her wonder if she’d be able to drive onto the quiet street where she lived. One good thing in her favor was the bigger tires on the SUV when she bought it last year.

  Rainbow Road, with every house a different hue, never looked so good or so snowed in. Ciera took a deep breath for courage and made a gentle turn. Her little blue Cape Cod was the third house on the right. With any luck, she’d get close enough she could shovel the rest of the way. Her SUV swerved and got stuck between the first and second house. She put her vehicle in reverse and eased backward. Then tried once more with a little success but, then, about eight feet from her driveway, she was stuck again.

  She turned off the engine and jumped out, shovel in hand. Clearing the snow away from her wheels, she eyed the path she wanted to shovel for each tire. She turned and decided to change her shoveling direction so she could back into her driveway. Getting out for work tomorrow night would be easier if she could pull forward instead of backing out.

  Halfway into her shoveling path, her cell rang. Her hands were so numb, she had to fumble to get it out of her coat pocket. Mason. I might as well get this over with. She swiped the screen. “Hello.” She jammed her shovel into the snow and leaned on it.

  “Where are you?”

  She glanced around her quiet neighborhood. “Almost in front of my house. I have more shoveling to do.”

  “Why didn’t you stay here? Wait for me like I said?” He sounded as if he was pacing.

  “I didn’t know how long you’d be with Blondie.” Yeah, she sounded petty. At this point, she didn�
�t give a good damn. She vacillated between a humongous crying jag and one hellacious temper tantrum.

  “Blondie? How did you know…you saw us?”

  “I saw you two kissing, yeah. I’m not saying you’re a dog, Mason. I’d say you’re more like a rabbit, hopping from hole to hole.”

  “Dammit, Ciera. All I did was take her to work.”

  “Remember last night in the parking lot, when you told me I’d never come second to anyone?” She chuffed a laugh. “You must have been real proud of yourself that I fell for that line. Because you sure as hell didn’t hesitate to leave me, while I was naked, to shower off my smell so you could dash out the door to another woman.”

  “Now, baby.”

  “Do you have any idea how I felt when you called Jenna ‘babe’ in one sentence and me ‘baby’ in the next? Or ‘sexy?’ Given my past, how do you think I felt hearing you call another woman that?”

  “Fucking hell! Look, you’ve got this all wrong. Tell me where you live. We need to talk.”

  “No, I don’t think so.” She was too emotional to have a conversation with anyone. Besides as a cop, if he really wanted to find out her address, he could. “I have an idea what it is you want to talk about. So, let’s just pretend last night never happened.”

  “Never happened!” he shouted.

  “Goodbye, Mason. I’ve got shoveling to do and my feet and legs are numb. I want to get inside and warm up. Don’t call me again.” She powered down her cellphone so he couldn’t reach her.

  She was shoveling her driveway when the crying jag hit. Her jeans were frozen from the knees down and her legs felt as if they weighed a ton. The snow and ice combination had ruined one of her cute red, ankle boots. The sole had come unglued from the upper and she was standing in the snow in her soaked stocking. She was so damn mad, she threw her red boot into her yard and it got stuck in the branches of one of her dogwood trees. Oh hell, I need wine and chocolate and a hot bath.