How Beauty Loved the Beast

chapter Ten



Jolie held her breath, waiting for his response. She didn’t have to wait long.

With a harsh exhale he dug fingers into the hair at her temple and drew her mouth to his in a rough kiss. All the calm he’d been exhibiting vanished as his tongue searched her, and she responded just as hungrily, clenching the fabric of his shirt to pull him closer.

He pulled back just enough to whisper, “What do you want from me, babe? I’ll do my best, I swear.”

Their breath comingled in the hot space between them. Thinking became a challenge. But there was something important she wanted. She had to ask. “I want to face you. Is that—was that one...”

“No, that’s good. We can do that. I’d like that. I really would.”

She poked his shoulder. “No covering my eyes.”

His jaw opened and closed wordlessly as his eyes said, “Busted.”

She softened her expression. “I didn’t mind last time. But for this, I want to see you.” She ducked her head. “It means something to me.”

“I promise. Something else?”

This was the big one. The make-or-break-it requirement. She considered the clothing wrapped around her fingers. A barrier wasn’t what she wanted, not in the long term. She wanted his skin to touch and kiss. To explore and claim. She wanted total freedom with him.

Flattening her hands against his shirt, she studied his eyes, worried that what she needed most from him was too much to ask. “Promise me that one day these will be gone. That we’ll keep trying until we can do this. I don’t care if it takes time. That’s fine. But one day. It’ll be better for both of us.”

He stood up straighter, pulling away. If he said no, it was going to hurt, and she’d have to decide what to do.

Tension stiffened her shoulders. “Please, Hauk.”

He caressed her face and tucked one hand around her jaw. “Jolie.” With his other hand he took the silver Thor’s hammer he wore around his neck, the symbol of his faith. He stared at the floor as he thought over his words then looked her in the eye. “I swear on Mjolnir that one day I will come to you naked. What happens then is up to you.”

It was the most heartfelt promise she’d ever seen him make, and she deeply appreciated it. But seriousness made her uncomfortable, and she couldn’t help breaking the mood with a joke. “What happens then is I’m going to f*ck the hell out of you. You’ll be sore for days.” Crude but honest, that she could do.

He laughed, untroubled by her levity. “I’m in favor of that.” Scooping her up off the counter, he turned them toward the bed.

“I have one more thing. But you can keep moving.”

He lifted an eyebrow.

She wiggled the box of condoms from her pocket and slapped it on his chest. “Consider this an incentive.”

His chuckling response was more abashed than disappointed. “Quality incentive, indeed.” He placed her gently on the bed and moved the box to the bedside table.

She didn’t want him to be offended. “Hey, my sister got pregnant at eighteen. It changed her life and, unfortunately, her personality. She and I were friends before it happened. You have your safety blankets, I have mine.”

He lay down beside her, listening attentively.

“That I’m offering at all makes you a Big Deal. You do get that, right?”

He stroked her face. “You know if something happened, I’d be here. We’d handle it together. I’m not saying that in any way to change your mind, but you need to know.”

She nodded and wrapped her arms around him. “I know.”

He kissed her again. “I like being a Big Deal.” He tugged the hem of her shirt. “Can I?”

“Of course.” She flicked the side of his open button down. “Can we take one of your two shirts off?” She gave him her best flirty pout. “Please?”

His attention wandered her face, dazed, before settling on her lips. “Yes.”

“Hauk?” She tugged on a button.

“Huh?” He looked down at his shirt. “Oh. Yeah.” His cheeks pinked.

She chuckled and pushed the shirt over his shoulders. Watching carefully for his reaction, she kept going, moving the fabric past the short sleeves of his undershirt until her fingers were brushing his skin.

His breathing picked up, and he held himself perfectly still. She couldn’t tell if he was turned on by her touch or trying to hold back a reaction. “How are you doing?”

“Picturing you naked.”

She hadn’t asked “what,” she’d asked “how.” But he probably knew that.

His shirt dropped to the bed, and he reached for hers. She lifted her arms so he could drag the fabric up her skin. When her shirt was gone, he admired her enthusiastically.

She laughed. “You’ve been to enough of my shows. I’d have thought you’d have gotten your fill of these.” In demonstration, she shimmied.

His look said she’d gone crazy. “Never. Besides. I can’t do this at your shows.” He gently cupped her breasts, filling his hands with her. “I will never, ever get enough of this.”

She hummed and pushed against his palms. He squeezed, building a warm pleasure inside her. “Good, ’cause I like your hands on me.”

He let one hand go to slide his fingers up her bra strap. “Can I...” He stopped, frowned.

“What?”

He shifted uncomfortably, reluctant to finish.

“Talk to me, Hauk.”

“I want to take everything off you.” He didn’t say, “and that’s not fair,” but she read it on his face.

How to best respond? She leaned in. “Honey, you touching me? It feels good. Don’t get me wrong, I want us to be together because it’s emotionally close and—and stuff.” Romantic of the Year, that was her. But he was a man. Hopefully he’d understand what she meant. “But I also want you because you make me hot. I want your hands all over my naked body. And your mouth. I want you to make me scream and beg. Kiss me, touch me, strip me, pin me, tease me...do whatever you want.” She watched the hunger build in his eyes until she knew she had his full attention. “And one day you’re going to say the same thing to me.”

He kissed her again.

* * *

Hauk unhooked her bra with one hand and was ridiculously proud he still could. She shrugged out of it, curves bouncing and nipples already peaked. Then he contemplated her pants. He wanted her naked. Ignoring the voice that told him he wasn’t making any sense, stripping her while he planned to keep every stitch on—hey, she said he could—he lowered her to the bed and made quick work of it.

Her pale skin and hourglass figure spread before him in a perfection of female beauty. He’d meant it when he said he’d never get tired of this. He would remain in awe of her body every time he got to see it.

Wednesday night, when he’d explored her for the first time, he’d paid attention to what she liked—what had made her breath catch and her skin quiver. Eager to practice what he’d learned, he slid his fingers down her stomach and over her hips bones.

When he’d flicked his tongue across the curve of her waist, she’d moaned. He tried it again, and she reacted the same. So he nipped at her skin, and she clutched at his back. The action scraped his shirt up into her fingers, exposing a piece of his waist.

His throat tightened. He would ignore it. They couldn’t do this if he freaked out every time he felt a little air in an unaccustomed place. He would concentrate on her and what he was doing. He could do that.

Determined, he licked down her hip, loving the contours of her body. Yes, this is what he would focus on. Her body was the perfect distraction. He moved back up to kiss her breasts, taking one and then the other in his mouth until she panted and writhed beneath him.

His own breath came out in gasps as his head swam with the cinnamon and vanilla scent of her. He kissed her lips and her hands dug into his shirt and it wasn’t enough. Before he could change his mind, he slid her hand down to his waist, under the fabric at his back.

She tensed, and he feared he’d screwed up, that the feel of him freaked her out more than she’d anticipated.

But she groaned and wrapped a leg around him, and her hand pressed against his back, smoothing up.

And she was touching his skin.

Her other hand joined the first, pressing firmly against him just like he’d asked her to. Even so, the unaccustomed feel sparked chaos in his head. He tensed, struggling against an emotional assault that strafed like a machine gun.

Jolie stopped, as if she sensed his distress. “Too much?”

Her stillness helped him find shelter. She’d noticed and hadn’t pushed. He swallowed. Took a moment to find his center. “No. Not too much.” It surprised him that he meant it.

She chuckled, a low, sexy sound. “You want to get the condom then?”

Yes. He did. He let go of her just long enough to get that rolled on and lowered his body back onto hers. Again, the words to tell her he loved her were on the tip of his tongue, and again he bit them back.

Maybe, maybe that would come later. For now, this connection was what he wanted more than anything, and he didn’t want to screw it up.

She caressed his face, kissed him as if blessing the act.

Pushing carefully, he joined his body to hers. Her smile grew more sultry as he slid in tighter. Her breath hitched and her chest arched as he filled her. Her softness enveloped him in ecstasy.

And they were one.

He returned her smile. Started to move, slow as he could stand. Despite his desire to drive into her recklessly, the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her.

But she was hot and wet and all encompassing. Gods, she felt so good. So damn perfect. He could get lost in the feeling.

Her fingers played with his waist band. “Please, can I? I’ve fantasized holding onto your amazing ass as we did this.”

He made a noise that hopefully sounded like yes. Her hands slid against his ravaged skin, and he froze up in a sudden surge of uncertainly. “That’s the worst. You might not want—”

“I want.” The fingers of both her hands dug into muscle, clinging to him. Or, at least he assumed both did. On one side her nails bit into his skin erotically. On the other, there was only a vague sense of pressure, like he’d been anesthetized.

But as the hand he could feel urged him further inside her then back, increasing the friction and escalating their pace, he found he didn’t care.

“More,” she demanded, her sultry breath panting against his shoulder.

He thrust into her harder. Her legs cinched around him, her heels driving into his back. She arched her hips, changing the angle and bringing them even tighter together. Her sweat-slick skin glided across his, the beads of her nipples rasping against him. He swirled his tongue in the salt at her throat.

“More, God, more!” Her voice was husky with need.

Need for him.

He buried his face against her neck and crashed into her the way he wanted to. Her moans escalated to excited screams as her hips, her hands, his pace all synced into rhythm.

“Don’t stop. Oh, God, don’t...”

“No stopping.” No force in this world or the next could make him stop the perfection of their union.

She yelled his first name as her body tensed.

He lifted his head to watch, and she looked him right in the eyes as her orgasm hit. Her back arched further, pressing her breasts into him as her hips quit moving. She squeezed around him and satisfaction filled her face.

At the sight, he came, too. Pure sensation overwhelmed him as he stiffened and released. For just a moment, Jolie and the relief of their lovemaking was all the universe had, and it was a perfect place to be.

He collapsed on top of her, out of breath.

She let go of his bare skin and put her hands more comfortably on his covered back.

“If that’s what I get,” he gasped, “for letting you grab my ass, you can grab it whenever you want.”

Her laugh was loud and unfettered. He picked his head up, keen to see her happiness. She was flushed and smiling and relaxed.

He’d done that. Damn, he’d done good, if he did say so himself. “Wesley, huh?” he teased. “Going with the first name. I don’t hear that much anymore.”

“Felt more personal.” A kiss. “My Wesley of the Divine Tongue.”

My. He liked the sound of that. “More?” he asked, hopeful and already needy. He didn’t think there was such thing as enough when it came to Jolie.

“Oh, yeah.” She pushed him off of her and onto his back. “But this time I’m on top.”