The Unofficial Blurb for Forbidden Obsessions

Some of you may have seen me squee on Twitter and Facebook that I’ve gotten a release date for Forbidden Obsessions, Gabe’s book, and it’s way earlier than I’d hoped! September 9th, 2013, and yep, it’s another Carina Press book.  I’m just getting ready to start edits on it, but thought you might like to see my unofficial blurb (the one I wrote myself, not the one that will ultimately be used on bookstore sites!):

Dominant Gabe McConnell owns Bondage and Breakfast, an inn that caters to people into kink. It’s closed for repairs after a fire, but a friend asks him to open his home to Olivia Watterson, a firefighter recovering from a traumatic accident that injured her spine. Their attraction is immediate, but Gabe knows she’s too fragile for the type of play he demands from a submissive. It doesn’t take long, however, before she gets under his skin and he gives in to his desires.

Olivia’s short-term goals don’t include falling for the sexy Dom, but she loves the way Gabe makes her feel.  They explore the basics of domination and submission, but she’s frustrated with the way he holds back, treating her like fragile glass.  Now that she’s gotten a taste of what he has to offer, she wants all of him. Can they both get past their preconceived notions to find a way to make this relationship work?

Still lots of work to be done on it yet, but September…that’s pretty soon!

 

 

A Forbidden Desires Valentine Story

I had so much fun writing a Christmas story for Alex and Jess that I decided I need to write a similar follow-up piece for Marcus and Bella, focusing on Valentine’s Day.  This story takes place after FORBIDDEN DESIRES, so please be aware it does contain spoilers. I hope you enjoy this peek into their lives!

PLEASE NOTE:  Story contains material appropriate for adults only. 18+ only, please!

A Forbidden Desires Valentine

 

Forbidden Desires Valentine

NOTE:  This story contains material that is only appropriate for adults. 18+ only.

Forbidden Desires Cover

A Forbidden Desires Valentine
© Jodie Griffin, 2013

“Fuck, Bella mia. I hope you know what you’re doing.”

Bella pinched Marcus’s nipple. “Language, adorato. And you should trust me. I’ve been trained by the best.”  She continued to wrap her new red-dyed hemp rope around his body, tying knots she’d learned and studying her handiwork.  The deep color looked incredible against his olive skin.

“I’m going to kill him,” he muttered. “I cannot believe you had private lessons with Gabe, and he didn’t tell me.”

She grinned. “It was a surprise. And you’re just mad you didn’t think of it first.”

He half-snorted, half-laughed. “You’re right about that.” He looked down at his body and shook his head. “Rope? Really?”

He wasn’t in his submissive headspace, and Bella needed to fix that. With his crazy work schedule and hers, it had been too long since they’d had any extended time to play. She needed this, and he needed the release.  “Enough talking, or I’m going to gag you.”  He started to open his mouth, so she got nose-to-nose with him while she grabbed his balls and squeezed. Not too hard, but enough that he knew she meant business.  “Or are you in the mood for a punishment? Because I have no problem bringing you right to the edge and leaving you there while I get myself off.”

His cheeks pinkened but his eyes blazed hot. His big body vibrated with tension, but he shook his head and held his tongue.

“Good. The only words I want to hear from your mouth are Yes, Ma’am if I ask you a question, or elephant if we need to stop. Is that understood?”  Elephant was his safe word when they played like this, and even when they switched and he was Dom and she was sub, she used the same one. It was a shared joke between them.

Today, Valentine’s day, she was in charge.

“Yes, Ma’am,” he murmured, his long lashes sweeping his cheek as he lowered his eyes.

Her dominant self cheered, but she held no illusions he’d totally submitted.  Stubborn as the day was long, her hot Italian guy. He challenged her at every turn, but she liked it. It might not work for everyone, but the dynamic worked for them.

She went back to her rope. Their friend Gabe had laughed evilly when she’d told him what she wanted to do to Marcus, and then he’d re-arranged his own schedule so he could teach her to do it safely. She still had a long way to go to get fancy, but she knew enough of the basics to give Marcus a taste.

He stood in the middle of the bedroom, his hands laced behind his head as she’d instructed. He was naked, his erection full and heavy and curled against his belly. She had plans for that too, later. She finished binding his chest and then walked him backward to their bed.  She’d imagined this scene in her head a million times, so she knew exactly how she wanted him.

“Sit on the edge of the bed and lay back but keep your feet on the floor, adorato.”  That was the name she used when she dominated him. It meant beloved in Italian, and even though he was the Italian one, she’d swiped it the minute she’d heard it because it was perfect to describe how she felt about him.

He did as she ordered, his broad feet still planted on the floor. He grunted and she hid a grin.  She figured he would feel the bite as the arch in his back expanded his chest and pulled the rope tighter against his skin.  She kept him like that for a long moment then gave him another order. “Pull your knees up and hang onto them.”

He made a sound of denial.

This was such an exposed position, and she struggled with it too. But she knew firsthand it would put him deeper into that submissive role, just like it did to her. She sharpened her voice. “Now, Marcus.”

His cheeks went from pink to a dull red that nearly matched the hemp, but he did it.  Without explaining what she was doing, she grabbed another length of rope and bound his lower calf to his upper thigh, and then she did the same to the other side, periodically checking his face for signs of distress or discomfort. He was fired up and his jaw was clenched tight, and when she tied his left hand to the outside of his leg, he let out a low, earthy curse, trying to twist away.

She pinched the tender skin in the crease of his leg then stroked her hand lightly over his cock and balls. “Easy, adorato. Settle down. ”

She continued to talk to him softly, kept petting him until he reached that point in his head where he’d decided yes, he’d submit.  She knew he’d gotten there when his legs relaxed, opening him wider to her view. She quickly bound his right hand, then leaned forward and kissed his stomach.

***

Marcus’s brain reached overload. Jesus, he needed what Bella was giving him, craved it, but his fucking head wouldn’t let him enjoy it without that giant struggle first. It was always harder than hell to shift from being responsible for people’s lives to being responsible for nothing.  He loved it, loved being at her mercy — she was a creative lover, and he never knew what to expect from her.  Her voice and touch soothed him and, finally, he let out a huge sigh that emptied his lungs and his mind at the same time.

“Perfect, love. Time to play.”

His eyes drifted closed as her small hand stroked his dick from root to tip, followed by her soft tongue licking him.  “Mmm. You taste good.”

His muscles bunched as she touched him, and he felt like a firecracker ready to launch, but then she backed off. He grunted, his frustration getting the better of him.

She laughed softly. “You didn’t think it’d be that easy, did you?”

 No, but a guy could hope.

“I’ve barely started playing,” she continued.  He opened his eyes to look at her, but she frowned. “Keep them closed, adorato.”

“Please, I need to see you,” he blurted, daring to incur her punishment. “You look fucking hot in that outfit.”  And she did, her full breasts straining the red lace of the body stocking she wore. It hugged her curves and made his mouth water. He wanted to taste her, all of her.

“Ah, love, that’s a sweet thought, but it’s not what I told you to do.” She smacked the bottom of his foot with a leather crop once, twice, three times in rapid succession. It stung, but not painfully.  Her words and the bite of the leather just dropped him deeper into his head, farther into the space that belonged only to Bella.  His eyes fluttered shut again.

He heard a click, and then her hands were back, both of them. She rubbed the warm lube along his length, over his balls, and then she drew a path to his anus with her slick fingers. He shuddered. When her finger breached his ass, he let out a hiss of air.

 So fucking good to lay here and just feel.

She continued to play for what seemed like forever, bringing him to the brink of madness and then easing back until he was so sensitive every part of his body ached with the need to come. She stepped away and he lay there breathing hard, his heart pounding harder, his mind chaotic but only with thoughts about Bella and him together.

He heard the creak of a door and then she was back.  “You okay, love?”

“Yes, Ma’am.”  He licked his lips. He hadn’t realized it but his throat was dry. Before he could tell Bella that, though, she was there, holding a water bottle to his mouth.  She was so attuned to him, this woman he loved more than his own life.

Suddenly he felt something hard and slick against his anus and he tensed.

“Deep breath,” she said, and then she pushed, slowly, precisely, keeping a pace only known to her.

They’d played with plugs before but this one felt huge going in. He twisted his head back and forth and a torrent of desperate words fell from his lips. Finally, finally it was in and he shuddered.

“Good job, love.” She twisted it and played with it for a moment, then kissed his cock, her hair falling forward to tease his belly. “You look hotter than hot, bound up, spread wide, plug in your ass. And all mine. Who do you belong to, adorato? Who’s your Valentine?”

“You,” he said, his voice thick to his own ears, his words straight from his heart and soul. “I belong to you. Only you.”

***

Bella blinked back tears. God, she loved her man so much. He gave her so much of himself, opened himself body and soul to her. It was time to give back to him.

She got on their bed and carefully straddled his head on her knees, settling herself backwards over his mouth, her core bared by the crotchless cut of the body stocking. He had a talented tongue, and she was already so close to the edge from the things she’d done to him tonight that her next order wouldn’t take long to accomplish. “Make me come, Marcus.”

“Thank God,” he muttered.  He lifted his head and started licking her, working her body with his teeth and tongue and lips.

Goosebumps traveled across her skin as he served her, bringing her to the edge almost immediately, and this without the use of his hands. But she didn’t want to go over, not yet. “Stop.”

He froze, a low groan of disbelief and denial in his throat.

She laughed softly then leaned forward, brushing her breasts across his chest, groaning herself as they rubbed over the rough hemp rope. When he choked back a laugh, the rat, she scraped her fingernails along his abs and on his thighs and then over his ass, and the laughter died in his throat.

The room was silent except for the sounds of their harsh breathing and moans and groans and sighs. It sounded like lush, incredibly erotic sex, and she saved the memory for later, for when life got in the way again. A reminder that they needed to make time for this.

With that thought in her mind, she released the rope tying his hands to his thighs, linking her fingers with his.  “You can use your hands now, adorato. Hands and mouth. But no coming until I say you can come.”  And with those words, she sucked his cock deeply into her mouth and grabbed the plug in his ass, fucking him with it as he fucked her with his tongue. His hands were busy too, one rubbing her clit, the other teasing the rim of her anus.

Then he pinched her, giving her the bite of pain she needed to go over, and she groaned deep in her throat around his cock, coming hard. She tried to move off him, but he was having none of that. He was so strong, her man, and he kept her tight against his face as he worked her toward a second orgasm. She decided to allow him this small moment of control.

She took his cock down as far as she could, swallowing against the head of it.  He stopped licking her long enough to beg, the words music to her ears. “Please, Bella mia. I need to come. Have mercy, please!”

“You can come when you make me come again,” she muttered softly, but he must’ve heard it because he doubled his efforts.  When he bit her clit she let out a tortured cry and bowed her back, coming hard.

As she did, she pulled on the plug, drawing it out so the thickest part of it stretched him wide for a few long seconds as she sucked hard on his cock. He flew over the edge with her, coming in her mouth and down her throat in long spurts. She swallowed it all, licking him clean as his chest heaved beneath her.

When she could move, she did, getting on her knees facing him, taking in his mussed hair, his wet lips, and the look of absolute calm on his face. He was slightly dazed and still in his submissive head space. Good. He needed it.

And she’d needed to take him there.

She went to the bathroom and grabbed a warm, wet washcloth, cleaning first his face and then his cock, balls, and ass. She loved this part, taking care of him as he drifted back to earth. She talked softly to him, touching him with gentle hands as she unbound his legs.  She urged him to a sitting position and removed the rope around his chest, and then she got him back into bed, where she curled up next to him under a blanket, her hand splayed across his chest.

They both drifted off to sleep for a few minutes.

When she woke, Marcus had one arm curled up under his head and the other was stroking her hair.  “Hey,” she said softly, leaning up on one elbow to look at him. “You okay?”

His eyes crinkled. “Better than okay. I needed that more than I thought I did.”

“So did I. I have something for you. A Valentine’s gift,” she said, smiling back at him. She reached into her nightstand drawer and pulled out an envelope.  “Here.”

He opened it, drew out a card, and laughed out loud. Rope lessons with Master Gabriel.  “Is this for me or for you?”

She smacked him. “For both of us.  Did you like the rope?”

He kissed her nose. “I loved it. And yeah, I’d like to learn it.” He turned to his nightstand and handed her a rectangular box.  “I have something for you, too.”

Her eyes misted. “Something more than two fabulous orgasms? I guess today’s my lucky day.”

“Open it,” he said, his face serious.  “You’ll see.”

She lifted the cover of the box and gasped. “Marcus, they’re gorgeous. I….wow.”  The tears fell over and slid down her cheeks. His gift was for both of them, as well. She lightly touched the bracelets, one masculine, one feminine. Hers was an etched silver band with a heart joining the two pieces in the front.  Curled up inside it was a thin silver chain with a tiny key on it.   His was a braided black leather one that matched the choker he wore whenever he wasn’t working. The ends were closed with a square lock that her key fit.  And sitting alongside his was another key, one she guessed fit the small lock on the back of her bracelet. It had a clasp on it, but it wasn’t on a necklace.

“It can be hooked on the back of my choker. You can wear your key on the chain or not wear it at all. I’ll leave it up to you. The bracelets are pretty non-specific, but I’m not ashamed of what we have.”

She kissed him, her heart melting. “I love you, Marcus. You’re right. I’m not ashamed either, but it’s no one else’s business.”  She lifted his out and put it on his wrist, locking it with the key on her necklace, which she then put over her head.  It was long enough it would tuck inside most of her clothes. Her secret and his.  “Mine.”

He placed her bracelet on her wrist and locked it into place. “Mine.”  He took the box and set it on the nightstand, then cupped her face in his hands and kissed her softly on the lips. “I love you too, Bella mia. Happy Valentine’s Day.”

 

 

A Forbidden Desires Valentine, © Jodie Griffin, 2013

Forbidden Fantasies Excerpt (Chapter One)

NOTE: Content is intended for adults 18 and older only.

Chapter One

 

God, she hated conflict, especially the kind between her and Alex. And really, if this whole emotionally draining, nerve-twitching situation was anyone’s fault, it was his. After all, he’d been the one to give her the gift card she’d used to buy the first book. And the second. And the third.

Jessica Meyers sighed disgustedly as she tested the water of her bubble bath. No, none of this was Alex’s doing. It was all hers, and she was going to have to find a way to fix it. Soon, before the confused frustration she saw in her husband’s eyes turned into something irreparable.

It was late, but she needed to unwind. The kids were sound asleep, and Alex, a Maryland State Trooper, was still at work. He probably would be all night, unless the MSP caught a break on the case that had been all over the nightly news. It was quiet for once, and maybe now she could figure out what the hell she was going to do to make things right again.

She lit some aromatherapy candles that matched the scent of her bubble bath, turned off the overhead light and climbed into the claw-foot tub, sighing as the steamy water did its thing on her muscles. She settled back and closed her eyes, breathing deeply, letting the soothing aroma of eucalyptus seep into her pores. Her hands drifted idly over her stomach, back and forth through the thick bubbles.

Alex. She loved that man so much, even more than the day she’d said I do. They’d been through a lot together these past fifteen years, but never once had she been sorry she’d married Alex right out of college. She still wasn’t sorry. She couldn’t imagine ever being sorry. And yet, as much as she loved Alex and their life together, she was restless and itchy, and it had all started with a book.

It had been another Friday night, and she’d been alone in the house. Ten-year-old Kara had been sleeping at her best friend’s house, and seven-year-old Ben had gone on a camping trip. Alex and Jess had planned a much-needed date night, but then Alex called her to say he’d caught a case and would be working late.

Jess was frustrated, but she’d been a cop’s wife long enough to suck it up and not blame Alex for things out of his control. Rather than sit home alone, she drove to the bookstore in Frederick, looking for something new and fun and distracting to read.

She picked up book after book, looking at the covers and reading the backs, but nothing caught her attention. She was kneeling on the floor, surrounded by possible choices, when she found it on the bottom shelf.

The cover drew her attention first. It showcased a hazy photograph of a wrought iron four-poster bed with plush white bed linens, rumpled as if someone had just woken and stepped out of the room. A silky black scarf, tied in a knot like a blindfold, lay at the foot of the bed. Men’s ties were looped around each of the four posts.

Her mouth went bone dry, her mind whirling with images of what might’ve happened in that bed. She flipped the book over to read the back cover copy and got sucked right in. The erotic promise in those words flowed over her like warm honey, and she turned to the first page. Exactly what she’d been looking for. She paid for her book and headed home.

As she read, she found herself shockingly aroused by the words on the page. She’d never read anything like it before, but the visual images she got from the words had her hands trembling, her heart pounding, and her core slick with desire. The woman in the story was bound facedown on the bed, helpless to stop what her boyfriend had planned for her, but she was a willing subject. He knelt beside her on the mattress, one hand fisted in her hair as he swatted at her bottom with his other. In between swats, he dipped his fingers into her moist sheath, using her own fluids like gel to ease his way into the snug depths of her anus. The woman struggled on the bed, her orgasm just outside of her control. He held it out of her reach until she was a writhing mass of need, begging him for mercy. Finally, he let her go over.

After Jess finished the book, she lay in bed, restless, unable to sleep for all the thoughts bouncing through her mind. She was aroused and so damn tempted to make herself come. She needed the release but doubted it would be enough by herself.

And then Alex came home. She stripped him of his clothes before their bedroom door even shut all the way. To say he was stunned was an understatement, but he didn’t complain in the least. He laughed, low and sexy, as he peeled off her nightgown and backed her up against the bed. He rained kisses across her cheeks, then bent to cover her breast with his mouth. She sucked in a shaky breath and squeezed her eyes shut as images from her imagination took over.

He turned her toward the bed, his body hard and hot behind her. When he finally stroked inside her, she shuddered, coming apart at the seams. But she couldn’t let loose, not all the way. She felt frozen, until she pictured herself in one of the scenes she’d read earlier, tied facedown to the bed, at her lover’s will. She grabbed at the sheets, forcing herself to be still, pretending to be under Alex’s control. It seemed wrong, but her body didn’t think so, and as Alex came with a shout, she let go.

It was the most explosive lovemaking they’d had in months, but she turned away from him, curling up on her side, silent, tremors shaking her body as he tried to get her to tell him what was wrong. She didn’t even try to explain it to him, because she didn’t know if she could. The guilt eating at her gut had only gotten worse when Alex curled up behind her, his warm, sated body spooning hers, his lips against her hair, whispering words of unconditional love.

Jess jerked back to the present with a start when she heard the garage door, her pulse pounding as she withdrew her trembling hand from between her thighs. She hadn’t expected it, but Alex was home. Thank God. She sighed with relief, the same sigh she breathed each time he came home from a shift, safe and whole.

The door to the bathroom opened. Already clinging to the edge of orgasm from her own touches and vivid memories, Jess picked up a bath pouf and started running it over her raised leg, letting the soap suds slide down to the junction of her thighs. Her breath hitched and she did it several times, pretending not to notice her husband leaning against the door, his arms crossed.

Even though he wore a sexy-as-sin smile on his face, his eyes held a wariness that had grown over the past few months, as if he wasn’t sure what kind of reception he’d get. She hated that she’d put that look in his eyes, and vowed to find a way to fix the mess. But tonight was not the night for her personal demons. Alex looked exhausted, she thought with a pang, as if he needed to be cared for. She dunked the pouf again, picking up more bubbles, and then squeezed it so the water and the suds cascaded over her breasts.

A low rumble came from his chest. “Hi, honey. I’m home.”

She turned her head and smiled lazily at him, even as her body flushed with heat. “So you are. You have too many clothes on. Get naked. There’s plenty of room for both of us in this tub.”

His grin was all male, and it chased some of the tired from his face and most of the tension from his body. She loved the way Alex looked, with his spiky dark hair and clear hazel eyes that were now sparkling with lust.

He pushed himself away from the door and started a very personal strip show. She swallowed hard as he unbuttoned his shirt slowly, torturously, exposing a broad, muscled chest with just the right amount of crisp hair.

She scooped up some bubbles and painted them on her body, drawing one finger through the froth, circling the tip of each aching breast, pinching the already hard nipples.

He pulled his shirt off. “Kids asleep?”

“Yes,” she breathed, groaning aloud as she became more aroused.

“Thank God,” he replied thickly, reaching behind him to lock the door. He never took his eyes off her, which was incredibly sexy. “I like what you’re doing with those bubbles, but save that job for me.” Working quickly, he removed his belt with his strong, sure fingers.

Fingers she wanted on her body, in her body, doing things she’d only read about and fantasized about. Things she wasn’t sure she could ever ask him to do. Things she worried he’d find disgusting, considering what he saw on the job. She shuddered, shoved the insidious thought away, and feasted her eyes on her husband’s body, letting him feel the weight of her yearning as she visually caressed the bulge of his arousal.

“You keep looking at me like that,” he said, his voice rough with desire, “and things are going to be over before they even start.” He unzipped his khaki pants and shoved them down, stepping out of them, pulling his socks off at the same time. He tossed the wadded ball of clothes behind him, toward the hamper in the corner of the bathroom, not bothering to look and see if he’d made the shot.

He hadn’t. Like she cared, though.

“You’re still wearing too much,” she said softly. Even though she loved the way her husband looked right now, clad only in a pair of skin-tight black boxer briefs that left nothing to the imagination, naked would be so much better.

“Workin’ on it.” He skimmed his briefs down his body, giving her a quick flash of his incredibly sexy ass. In less than a second, he sailed them through the air toward the rest of his clothes.

She loved that part of his body, loved being on her knees in front of him, digging her fingers into the tight muscles as she stroked his penis and sucked him until he couldn’t stand it anymore. And she loved it when he lost his famous control, threading his fingers through her hair, holding her head as he drove into her mouth, faster and faster, until he came, flooding her mouth and her senses at the same time. The salty sweet taste, the musky smell, the contradiction of soft and rough textures—all of it was pure, undiluted Alex. She didn’t feel guilty afterwards, because when she loved him that way, she didn’t need the fantasies from those books.

And it was the fantasies that were slowly driving her insane.

 

When Alex pulled into the garage after the shift from hell, all he’d been thinking about was sleep.

Not anymore.

Tired flew right out the window as he watched his sexy wife playing with the bubbles in the tub. Playing him. She was definitely in one of those turned-on, hell-on-wheels-in-bed moods tonight, but he didn’t mind the game. Not at all. Light from those scented candles she loved so much flickered over her body in the otherwise dark room. Her red curls were piled high on her head in a messy knot, her cheeks flushed pink from the steam, and she had a come-hither look in her gorgeous green eyes.

That was one invitation he wouldn’t refuse.

He stalked over to the tub and crouched next to it, dipping his hand into the water, circling the tip of Jess’s breast, catching her nipple between his thumb and forefinger. He leaned forward and kissed her, and at the same time he pinched her nipple gently. She gasped and he slid his tongue in her mouth, feasting on the taste that was uniquely his Jessica’s, with a twist. “Sneaking the kids’ Easter candy again, babe?”

She flushed prettily. “Guilty.”

He laughed, bumping noses with her. “You’re not the only one. I stopped in the kitchen before I came upstairs. Ben’s bunny is missing a little more of his ears now.”

She flicked some water at him. “You’re worse than I am. I only took some jellybeans.”

He kissed Jess again. “Scoot up.”

When she did, he slid into the tub behind her. He leaned back against the tub’s high walls with a heartfelt groan. The hot water felt great. He slipped his arms around her, tugging her back against his chest. That felt even better—her ass was pressed right against his aching erection. He nipped at her shoulder and cupped her full breasts, reveling in the weight of them, slowly rubbing his thumbs over her hard nipples. Her head dropped back against his shoulder, and she clutched at his arms.

“Want me to stop?” he murmured in her ear.

“I’ll kill you if you do,” she said, the breathy sound of the words adding to his arousal.

“Hmm. What if I do this instead?” He kept one hand working at her breasts, but he slid the other lower, skimming gently over her stomach to her curls, using one fingertip to nudge her clit before sliding that finger deep inside her body. She was so wet and swollen he knew it wouldn’t take long for her to come tonight. He kept up a gentle pace, loving how it made her writhe, which rubbed her body back and forth against his hard, straining cock.

The warmth of the water, the heat and movement of Jess’s body, the potent scent of the candles in the air—all of it put him on the razor’s edge of climax. When she finally went over, he fought against his need to do the same. He cupped her head and pulled her into a deep kiss, covering her mouth with his, swallowing the sounds of her release, a long, sensual orgasm that left her limp against his body, sated, at least for now.

He, on the other hand, was nowhere near done. His heart galloped, his breathing ragged as he held Jess close while she came back to earth.

She kissed the back of his hand and then turned all the way around and settled between his thighs, facing him on her knees. Water sloshed over the edge of the tub, and small waves rippled in the water’s depth, caressing his cock the way he wanted Jess to. He gritted his teeth, not wanting to go over, not yet.

“Hi there.” She leaned up to kiss him, coming half out of the water like a mermaid from the sea. Her long, curly hair had fallen out of its knot and now trailed over her shoulder and tumbled down her back.

He wrapped a finger in one of her curls and tugged lightly. “Hi yourself. This is a nice surprise.”

She tilted her head and reached out, splaying her hand across his chest. “For both of us. I thought you wouldn’t be home until morning.”

“Really? You were already pretty wet when I got here. Playing without me?” he teased, intrigued by the thought. Damned if it didn’t send a lightning bolt of lust straight to his cock.

She flushed, and something uncomfortable skittered across her face. She ducked her head, hiding her eyes from him. “From the hot bath.”

Not wanting to ruin the mood, he let it go. Talking about sex was always hard for Jess, but something told him there was more to her embarrassment than just him talking dirty. This wasn’t the first time she had distanced herself from him during sex, and one of these days, he was going to have to figure out what was going on in her head, why she seemed so flustered lately, because it was driving him nuts.

“It doesn’t matter either way, babe.” He stifled the frustration that seemed to be his constant companion these days and ran his knuckles gently down Jess’s cheek. “I’m just glad you’re awake and I get to spend some quality time with my gorgeous wife.”

He’d deal with the questions some other day, though, because now Jess had her hands on his thighs. She slid them forward until her fingers nestled in the crook of his legs, close to his cock and balls, but she didn’t touch them. And oh, how he wanted that. His muscles bunched and flexed as she rubbed her thumbs closer and closer.

“Babe, you’re killing me here.” He closed his eyes and dropped his head back against the edge of the tub. “Touch me. Please.”

“Touch you how?” Jess’s voice was like velvet, her softly uttered words uncharacteristically bold. And totally at odds with the uneasiness he’d seen in her eyes just a minute earlier. “Tell me what you want me to do.”

His eyes flew open, and in the dim light, he saw raw desire on his wife’s face. Damned if that didn’t turn him on too. Whatever was going on with Jess, whatever she wouldn’t—or felt she couldn’t—share with him, it definitely added a spark to their sex life. He liked it. A lot. All except for the emotional distance, but he shoved that thought away for now.

He kept his eyes locked on hers as his heart threatened to gallop out of his chest. He had to clear his throat twice to get his voice to work. “Get your hand all soapy, and wrap it around my cock. I want to feel your fingers on me, stroking me, touching my balls.”

Her eyes lit up. “Like this?”

Steam rose around them, but he wasn’t sure if it was from the water or from the heat they generated together. Her slick, soapy hand stroked tightly up and down his erection, and she slid her thumb over the head each time she reached the tip. Her fingers cupping his balls were gentle, caressing that sensitive spot underneath them. She scraped there with her fingernail, and his body jerked in response.

It felt like hell, and it felt like heaven. “Stop,” he groaned. “Or I’m going to come like this.”

She didn’t listen.

As she worked him with her tight fist, she slid her other hand under his balls, pressing against the tight hole there, sparking the nerve endings to life. She’d never done that to him before, but damn, it felt good. He wanted her to do it again. Later, when he had more control over his body. His balls drew up, and he knew he was going to lose it, right there, without being inside her, if he didn’t do something fast. And he didn’t want to come alone.

He tugged Jess up his body, draping her legs on either side of this, and urged her down onto his pulsing cock. As good as her warm, soapy hand had felt, it was nothing like the heat and tightness of her pussy. He held her hips steady, thrusting up until he was fully enveloped in her body.

“Alex,” she cried out as he pressed deep, closing her eyes and biting her lip.

“Ride me.” He didn’t care how needy he sounded. He could feel the ripples inside her body, urging him toward release. He slid his hands into her hair, pulling her down for a kiss as she rocked back and forth on his body, her movements drawing him closer and closer to the fire.

She went over first, and he tightened his hands in her hair, deepening the kiss, swallowing
the ragged sound she made as her orgasm flashed over. She shredded his restraint, and he followed her almost immediately, holding her close as wave after wave of pleasure overtook him.

They lay together in the tub, breathing heavily, and he stroked a hand up and down her smooth back. He didn’t know how long they lay there like that, entwined, his softening cock still inside the grip of her body. This was the first time in a long while she seemed content to stay connected to him, to rest in their intimate embrace, and he felt even more tension leave his body.

“A husband could get used to coming home to this every night,” he murmured in her ear, and he felt her smile against his neck.

“So could a wife,” she said with a satisfied sigh.

 

Text Copyright © 2012 by Jodie Griffin
Cover Art Copyright © 2012 by Harlequin Enterprises Limited Permission to reproduce text granted by Harlequin Books S.A. Cover art used by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises Limited. All rights reserved. ® and ™ are trademarks owned by Harlequin Enterprises Limited or its affiliated companies, used under license.