His hand shifted down, uninhibited this time, and massaged her wet center until she cried out, begging for release that was moments away. Her back arched as he drove her to the edge.
“Grady, please,” she gasped.
Mounting pressure inside her boiled over as he brought her higher and higher. Teetering on the cusp of something earth-shattering, she pleaded again.
“Please, what?” he teased, driving her on until she couldn’t speak at all, and cried out in blissful release as she came in his hand.
As her breathing calmed, he kissed her until her brain melted. “Please, what?” he asked again against her lips.
“Make love with me,” she whispered.
With a cruel, tempting laugh, he refused. “I’m not letting you off that easy. Not that I can see anything.” Shifting down, he trailed his lips down her abdomen, lighting a fire as he went, kissing each square inch of skin along the way.
Beyond ready for him, she opened for him as he settled between her legs. Pressing the exquisite velvet of his tongue against her core, he applied just enough pressure to elicit that moan again. Crying out at the intensity of the already building orgasm, she urged him on.
Lightly tasting, tickling her swollen clit, he drove her wild with anticipation. Circling, he methodically increased his pace with her gasps. Licking, vibrating, he laved. Her voice echoed through the snowy car as he drove her beyond the edge of reason.
As she crested again and again, he mercifully pulled away and moved up her body. Both overcome with desperation, needing more, he nuzzled against her neck, hard against her as he was clearly struggling to keep his lust in check.
“Now, Grady,” she whispered against his ear.
“Are you sure?” he asked, the hope in his crackling voice unmistakable.
She gripped his hips and moved under him. “Yes. I want you. Now.”
Without further argument, but maybe with a hint of a chuckle and the feel of a grin against her neck, he thrust into her deeply and completely, before she could finish her thought. Stars flashed before her eyes at the rush of ecstasy. His hips pumped with hers in harmony against the destruction of the night. A resonant groan escaped his lips as she tightened around him. The only two people in the world of confusion and darkness, she was absolutely, one hundred percent certain, he was hers.
Grady awoke shudderingas daylight glowed through the snow-encrusted windows of the Forerunner. Well, the rapid clicking sound of Claire’s teeth chattering woke him. Carefully, to avoid waking her, he pulled his arm out from under her to check the tailpipe. She didn’t even stir when the dome light came on.
With a silent expletive in response to the mound of snow that had covered the exhaust pipe, he used the ice scraper to dig around it so he could start the engine to warm up again. Thank goodness no one was around to see his naked torso hanging out of the back of his SUV, shoveling snow like a polar-bear club lunatic. Hands now totally numb, aside from the intermittent burning stab of cold, he shut the back door and moved up to turn the engine on again.
Claire stirred at his side, groaned and wrapped around his bare waist while he sat next to her, but she drifted right back to sleep. Just after six in the morning and a message from Hattie buzzed.
It’s Ryder. You alive?
Fingers finally defrosting as hot air settled over their makeshift bed, he texted back,Doing fine. Any word on the snowplows?
Slow going, but you’re on their list. A lot of people in similar situations and trees blocking critical roads, so it might be awhile. Patricia’s been after them all morning.
His stomach grumbled a noisy complaint. In his rush to get to Claire, he hadn’t eaten dinner last night. The midnight protein bars hadn’t done much.
Don’t worry about it. Think we can get up the hill to Asher’s and will crash there for now.And hide there as long as possible. He had no idea how he was going to explain the switch-a-roo to his mother.
K. Haley’s flight landed in the nick of time so she’s at a hotel next to the airport. I’ll borrow Bill’s truck to run get her as soon as the roads are clear enough.
Grady breathed a sigh of relief. The gala sounded like such a nightmare, but maybe, just maybe, having his brother and sister there to have his back would make it okay. If Ryder understood... which, after the stable incident, Grady suspected Claire was right, she and Ryder had been over long before the official breakup.
It looked to be at least three feet of snow out there, but he had decent ground clearance and four-wheel drive, so they might be able to push through. Hopefully. Worst case, they could wrap up in blankets and it would be a gorgeous morning hike up the hill.
Still sopping wet, his pants were hardly a degree above freezing. He felt Claire moving at his side, waking fully this time in the cozy cab, her lips no longer as blue as they’d been a few moments ago. Her eyes fluttered open. Confused at first, she scowled and looked at the snow-covered windows. Then the giggles started as she assessed the situation. And kept going and going.
“Good morning,” he said, chuckling with her. Yes, she was totally nuts.
She sat up in the makeshift bed and the blankets fell to her waist as she tried to contain her giggle fit. A total cad, he thought about making conversation, maybe even eye contact, but his eyes locked onto those spectacularly rounded breasts.
Rather than complain about his lack of manners, she calmed her laughter, but her grin didn’t relent, and she pulled his hand to her and pressed her breast into his palm, a delicious grin on her face. Fascinated, he inspected each, weighing and pressing his thumbs over the pert pink nipples. “Battery be damned, we should have risked it so I could see this sooner.”
His empty stomach took the hint and shut up as he appreciated the moment. He ran his tongue across the tops of her breasts, and her back arched in response. Circling around each tight bud, he took each in his mouth and sucked and tormented until she cried out in that husky moan that was uniquely hers.
