Slow Burn Read online

  The hand progressed and they each bid. He tried not to show his amusement at how determined she looked.

  When he called her, she put down her cards and looked at him with satisfaction as she presented two aces and two tens. “Two pair.”

  “Not bad.” He laid out his own cards. “But sorry, little lady.” He exaggerated his Texan drawl. “Three of a kind beats your two pair.” He spread his three jacks on the table along with a four and five.

  She groaned. “Damn.”

  He gathered the poker chips they’d bet and he stacked them. “Fess up.”

  She blew out a sigh. “When I was in junior high school, Belle said something funny just as I took a drink of soda. Whatever she said was so hysterical I choked. Soda came out of my nose. I was coughing and laughing and choking all at once.” Christie grimaced. “The embarrassing part came when I noticed that the guy I had a major crush on was standing right by us. I was still coughing and sputtering and I got soda on his shirt.”

  Trace laughed. “That qualifies.”

  “I was mortified.” She shook her head. “Every time he saw me after that he’d grin and I knew he was thinking of me with soda coming out my nose.”

  Trace had to hold back more laughter.

  She put her hands on the table. “It’s going to be your turn, just you watch.”

  This time his straight lost to her flush. She looked at him with triumph. “Go.”

  “My step uncle was a real scumbag, like I mentioned earlier.” Trace rubbed his chin. “He’d leave porn magazines around, probably to upset my aunt. When I was a freshman in high school, I was in a hurry to catch the bus and I’d grabbed my homework off of the coffee table. What I didn’t realize was that I’d picked up one of his magazines.” It was funny now, but it had been embarrassing then. “In my science class I was lucky enough to be sitting with a lot of pretty girls around me. But when I took my homework out of my bag, that damned porn mag went flying. Not only did the girls see it, but also Mrs. Schmitz, our teacher. She snatched it up and shook it at me. She was lobster-red in the face as she ordered me to take the magazine straight to the principal’s office.”

  Christie smirked. “Bet the guys thought you were some kind of hero.”

  Trace had to grin. “They did, but those pretty girls and the teacher were not amused.”

  They played another hand and his two pair beat Christie’s single pair.

  She flopped back in her chair. “Once when I was a sophomore, I walked into the cafeteria and stumbled sideways over God knows what. I bumped into a bunch of chairs that were stacked vertically against each other. My foot caught on the first one and when it slid down, so did the rest of the chairs. They made a horrible crashing sound as they hit and they slid across the polished floor. Everyone in the cafeteria started laughing. I don’t think my face has ever been so hot.”

  Christie lost the next hand, too, and told about the time her skirt fell down to her ankles at the bus stop just as the school bus was approaching. “I think just about everyone on the bus saw, not to mention the kids at our stop.” She groaned. “My white cotton panties with little pink flowers on them were on display as I hurried to pull my skirt up. I never lived that one down.”

  When Trace lost the next hand, he shook his head. “I’d have to say my most embarrassing moment was during my high school graduation. I just wanted to get across that stage, shake the principal’s hand, and be done with it. I was never one for being in front of an audience.” Trace blew out his breath. “I got my diploma, shook that principal’s hand, and started to head toward the stairs. I tripped over the microphone cord and fell against the principal, knocking him to the stage. At the same time my diploma flew out of my hand, into the audience, and hit a cute cheerleader right in the face.”

  Christie was giggling by the time he finished his story. “Now that’s a good one.”

  He laughed, her giggles making her even more adorable than ever. And he became even more determined to win the game.

  They went back and forth with stories and winning and losing hands. It was dark outside when the game finally ended—Christie was a damned good player and before he knew it, she’d beaten his ass and good.

  “Ha!” Her look of triumph was enough to make him glad she’d won. She gathered all the chips in a sweep of her arms. “Now I get to do whatever I want with you.”

  He raised an eyebrow as she put her finger on her chin and looked as though she was considering any number of options. But then she moved toward him.

  She made a circle motion with her finger. “Turn your chair so that you’re facing me.”

  He obeyed. “What are you up to, little girl?”

  She moved toward him and before he knew it, she was straddling his lap, her mouth on his. She paused long enough to say. “All I want is you. And I want you naked.”

  Hell if he was going to argue with that.

  Butterflies darted around Christie’s belly as she pushed Trace’s overshirt over his shoulders. Her arm twinged, but not enough to bother her.

  He broke the kiss to lean away from the back of the chair and shrug out of the shirt, leaving him in his T-shirt. He wore a shoulder holster over his T-shirt, his weapon still in it. She leaned in to kiss him again.

  “Hold that thought.” He moved, grasping her by the waist, and bringing her with him so they were both standing. He unfastened the shoulder holster and set it on the cards and chips on the table. He removed his belt, which included his holstered phone, and set it all beside the weapon holster. Then he toed off his boots and pulled off his socks.

  As soon as he’d taken off those things, she insisted on pulling his T-shirt out of his jeans and dragging it up his muscular chest until he helped her pull it over his head. Pleasure ran through her as she skimmed her hands over his body, up to his shoulders. His torso was so well defined, a work of art that she wanted to explore, to touch, to kiss.

  His masculine scent filled her lungs, his body heat warming her through. She didn’t need the fireplace when she had this man’s body next to hers.

  He brought his mouth down hard on hers again as he grasped her T-shirt and carefully slid it up and over her breasts. He threw it aside and cupped her lace-covered breasts with his hands.

  “I’ve imagined being with you a thousand times.” His breathing was heavy. “And every time I thought of taking you slow and easy like you deserve.”

  “Next time.” She reached behind her and unfastened her bra, ignoring the twinge in her arm. “Right now I just want you more than I’ve wanted anything in my life.”

  She flung her bra somewhere—she had no idea. She could have thrown it across the room and into the fireplace and she wouldn’t have cared. She pressed her breasts against his chest, loving the feel of her nipples rubbing against the hard muscle.

  He grasped her hair in his hand and pulled back, exposing her neck. He groaned as he dragged his lips along her neck to the hollow of her throat. She sighed and gasped with every kiss, every touch of his lips and hands, every brush of his body. He cupped one breast and rubbed his thumb over the nipple as he brought his mouth down on her opposite one.

  The heat of his mouth enveloped the hard nub and he sucked. She moaned from the pleasure and gripped his biceps as he flicked his tongue over her nipple, teasing it before sucking it again. Each swipe of his tongue sent shivers of delight through her and when he applied gentle suction to each nipple the shivers magnified.

  She kicked off her shoes as he grasped the button on her jeans and unfastened it. He pushed the jeans over her hips, and she shimmied out of them before he gripped the sides of her red panties and pushed them down. She was glad she had packed sexy under garments. When her panties reached her ankles she stepped out of the clothing. He knelt and tugged off each of her socks before throwing the whole pile aside.

  She reached for the button of his jeans and it slipped through the hole and parted, then she grasped his zipper and tugged down. She glanced up at his face and saw him w
atching her with fierce hunger in his eyes.

  The zipper stuck a little and she pulled until it went all the way down. She saw how hard he was and pushed his jeans down his hips until they hit the floor.

  She caught her breath. The bulge behind his boxer briefs was huge, and for a moment the intimidation she felt made the butterflies in her belly stir like crazy. She’d never experienced sex with someone so big because her only experience was with something considerably smaller that had barely tented his briefs.

  Her hesitation must have shown because Trace rested his hand on her shoulder and said, “If you don’t want to do this—”

  She cut him off with, “I want you,” and she shoved down his boxer briefs and got to her knees as she pushed them all the way down.

  His cock sprang out and as he stepped out of his jeans and underwear, she couldn’t help herself. The intimidation and hesitation she felt turned into desire to have his cock inside her mouth as well as her core. She wrapped her hand around his thickness. He hissed in a breath and she felt the tension in his body as she ran her thumb over the top of his cock, spreading the pre-come over the large head.

  Trace felt so incredibly hard in her hand, but the skin over all that rigidness was soft. She honestly had never liked going down on Salvatore, but he’d always made her.

  This was different. She wanted to taste Trace and to see what it was like to have him in her mouth. Would he feel pleasure when she did it? Just being with Trace seemed to erase every bad memory of her ex, as if he’d never existed and those things had never happened. At least for now.

  She darted out her tongue and licked the head of his cock. He groaned and she looked up at him and met his gaze. By the look in his eyes, he wanted her to continue. He smoothed her hair away from her face as she started to slide his cock inside her mouth. She grew wet as she kept her gaze focused on his, unable to look away.

  “God, that’s good,” he said as his cock entered the wetness of her mouth.

  He was so big that she could barely slide him between her lips. He was also so long that she couldn’t take all of him, but she tried. He groaned again as she experimented with the way she licked and sucked him while she moved her hand up and down the lower part of his cock. She’d never wanted to give the kind of pleasure that she did at this very moment.

  A sense of being inadequate made her hesitate, but she pushed the feeling aside. By the look on his face, he was enjoying what she was doing. It made her feel somehow powerful, that she was able to make him look like he was about to lose control. His jaw was tight, his expression strained. She reached for his balls with her free hand and caressed them while she sucked his cock.

  Making him so aroused caused her to ache and grow wetter between her thighs. Her skin felt more sensitive. It was as if the brush of his fingers alone could cause her pleasure beyond anything she’d ever felt before.

  “Amazing. You’re fucking amazing.” He sounded like he was out of breath as he took her by the shoulders while taking care not to hurt her wounded arm. “Come here, baby.”

  She let his cock slip from her mouth and released him as he brought her to her feet. He lowered his head and kissed her. This time it was a long, slow, lingering kiss. She leaned in to him, her naked body against his. She loved the feel of skin to skin and his cock pressed against her belly.

  He stroked her, his callused palms rough, but his hands gentle as they moved over her soft flesh. She explored his body with her fingertips, loving the feel of his hard masculinity, his defined muscles and the hardness of his biceps. She traced a path down his abs, nearing his cock.

  His kiss grew more intense with every touch and he slid his fingers into the wetness between her thighs. She gasped into his mouth as he stroked her clit and sent shockwaves through her. The calluses on his fingers made her flesh even more sensitive.

  He raised his head as he slid his fingers into her core. “You’re so damned wet,” he said before he brought his mouth to hers again. He pumped his fingers in and out of her as he kissed her.

  His fingers felt so good inside her, stroking her, reaching places that had never been touched before. Her core contracted as she made a soft humming sound that came from deep inside her, turning into a moan. He trailed his free hand up her shoulders and her neck before sliding it into her hair.

  With another soft moan, she broke the kiss. “I want you inside me, Trace. Please.”

  “I have plans for you.” He drew his fingers out of her core and slid them into his mouth. Her knees felt weak as he sucked off her juices. “Damn you taste good.”

  He picked her up by her waist, catching her off guard. She wrapped her legs around his hips and held on, her arms around his neck. He carried her around the table to the other side of the room. It was further away from the nearby lantern they’d lit, a little darker.

  He laid her on the bed so she was looking up at him. She drank him in and reveled in the intensity of his gaze.

  While they’d been playing poker, he’d stoked the fire. The firelight flickered, casting shadows across his face. The way he looked at her—it was as if she was the only woman in the world as far as he was concerned, something she’d never experienced before. A feeling of being desired and cherished all at the same time. This didn’t feel like a man simply lusting after her, a man wanting sex.

  This was a man who wanted more from her than sex. She didn’t think he could fake the look in his eyes that made her feel like he wanted something more from her. No, from what she’d gotten to know about the man, nothing he ever did was fake.

  “Don’t move.” He trailed his fingers over her cheek in a gentle movement that left her skin tingling. “I’ll be right back.”

  For a moment she wondered why he was leaving and what he was searching for until he found his jeans and picked them up, then fished something out of the pocket. In the light of the lantern near him, she saw that it was a wallet and he was removing something from it. A condom, no doubt.

  He returned, climbed onto the bed and positioned himself so that he was over her, bracing his hands to either side of her.

  For one brief flash she thought of the last time she’d had a man over her and of what he had done to her. But she shoved every unwelcome thought from her mind. This moment was special. This was Trace.

  He tossed a condom package to the side on the bed, lowered his head and kissed her again. She loved his mouth, the way he nipped at her lower lip, and the way his tongue slipped into her mouth and touched hers. She followed his lead, kissing him the way he kissed her.

  When he raised his head, he shifted and she wondered if he was going to put on the condom and slide inside her. The size of his cock caused her body to tense as she thought of him entering her.

  Instead, he eased down her body until his head was between her thighs. Her eyes widened. Was he going to lick her there? She’d heard of it—

  He licked her clit and she nearly came off the bed. It was like a bolt of electricity shot through her.

  Oh, my God.

  Her legs trembled as he licked her folds, and something wound so tightly inside her that all she knew was that she didn’t think she’d survive it much longer. She gripped the bed covering. Something had to give and she was afraid it was going to be her sanity. She was losing her mind even as the pleasure caused her to soar.

  He slipped two fingers inside her wet core and began pumping them in and out, faster and faster until she lost it.

  Nothing short of an explosion rocketed through her body. It was like fireworks went off inside her, heating her through and causing hair to rise along her arms. A long keening wail came from somewhere, ringing in her ears. She felt as if she’d been blinded and she couldn’t see or think, she could only feel the most amazing pleasure of her life. Pleasure so great it was almost painful.

  An orgasm. She’d just had the first orgasm of her life.

  Trace continued to lick her and move his fingers in and out of her. Every touch made her feel so sensitive that s
he almost struggled to make him stop.

  “I can’t.” She moved her head back and forth, not knowing what she was talking about, only that what he was doing was sweet torture. “I—oh, God.”

  “You can.” He murmured against her folds. “You will.”

  He kept moving his fingers in and out and licking her. She lost it again, climaxing even harder than before. This time she knew where the cry came from—she was going to make the cabin fall down on them if she screamed any louder. He drew her orgasm out until she was nothing but a limp doll, totally worn and exhausted.

  A triumphant expression was on his face as he rose up and looked down at her. He paused to do something—at that moment she couldn’t have cared less what it was—and he moved his cock to her core.

  She never had time to tense or to worry about his size. Hell, she didn’t care. She just wanted him inside her.

  He took his time, easing inside, sliding his cock into her wet heat. She could swear his eyes nearly crossed as she looked up at him. He buried himself fully before he began moving in and out with easy thrusts. He was so big inside her, making her full in a way she’d never experienced before. She loved it, didn’t want to ever stop feeling the way she did right now, this full sensation and the thrills that made her come alive.

  His weight was partially on her, pinning her down. For one brief moment she felt a sense of panic of not being able to escape. The panic vanished, was smoothed away as Trace whispered in her ear.

  “God, you’re special.” He teased her earlobe with his teeth as he kept his movements slow and steady. “There is no one like you.”

  She loved the way it felt with his body on hers. In his gaze she saw something that resonated with her…as if she belonged to him…and he belonged to her.

  Another orgasm started building inside her. She found it hard to catch her breath. She wrapped her arms around him, digging her nails into his back, holding on for dear life.

  His thrusts came faster and faster and her eyes widened as his cock stroked a part of her deep inside that made her crazy. She squirmed beneath him, her lips parted as her breaths came in harsh, short pants. He made her feel so good. Not like a body being used, but a person who was cared for in ways she’d never been cared for before.