Down and Dirty (Dare Me)

chapter Ten


Cat stared at the shadows on the wall and snuggled deeper into the covers. Shane’s arm tightened around her waist, and he dragged her closer, molding her back to his front. They hadn’t left each other’s arms for the past five hours except to wash up, and in spite of her professed fondness for sleeping alone, she’d never felt happier. A few orgasms, a warm man in her bed…it had been a long time since that had happened. And never both at the same time until now, she realized with a chuckle.

“What’s so funny?” Shane whispered, tipping his head to press a warm kiss to her shoulder.

“Oh, just thinking about self-administered orgasms and how nice it is to get them courtesy of someone else for a change.”

“Well, feel free to take advantage. I’ve got an unlimited supply.”

She pulled away then rolled in to face him. “I knew I liked you.”

His face was sleepy and satisfied in the moonlight, and she traced the dark slash of his eyebrows with her index finger. “You are one fine-looking man,” she admitted. “You always were. Even when we were younger, during those rare times you took a break from torturing me, I thought you were hot.”

He slung his arm over her hip and leaned in to nip at her jaw. “Did you, now? Tell me more about that. Not about the torture part. About how hot you thought I was.”

She laughed and pulled away. “I did. You had to know that. The night at the lake, and…” She searched his face, debating whether she wanted to open that can of worms when things were going so nicely. But, damn it, she had to know. No point in going in with a nail file. She broke out the sledgehammer. “Why were you such an a*shole to me?”

He stared at her for a long moment and then rolled away. She was just thinking maybe she should’ve come in a little softer when he started propping up some pillows. He settled back, flashing an exceptional expanse of muscled chest, and sighed. “I never meant to be an a*shole. I was just doing what your brother asked me to do.”

She leaned up onto her elbow, resisting the urge to trail her fingers over his abs. “Galen asked you to be an a*shole to me?” She knew she was being thick, but she needed to know exactly what had happened that strange year, and more importantly, why Shane had walked away from her that night in the lake.

“He asked me to take care of you while he was gone. You were a little reckless, he was a lot worried, and he couldn’t be there. It was your junior year. You were just coming into your own, and that body.” His gaze drifted down to scan her sheet-clad form. “You had a sense of adventure and no fears. The whole thing was a like a f*cking time bomb just waiting to go off. Guys that age are horny, and a lot of them are a*sholes. He didn’t want anyone messing with you, and he didn’t want you making any rash decisions you might regret later.”

Understanding dawned, and she nodded slowly. “Like getting deflowered in the lake by his best friend.”

“Yeah. Like that,” he said with a tight smile. “Although, until now, I hadn’t realized you were a virgin.”

“I was. And it was all so romantic with that big moon and the warm water, it seemed like fate. You were so sweet, worried about me. You followed me in and, even when I kissed you, you hesitated. I thought it was because you didn’t like me.”

“Oh, I liked you. Too much.” He traced the line of her shoulder and frowned. “Jesus, how could you not have known that? I was hard as a baseball bat and breathing like I just went ten rounds with a grizzly.”

She chuckled. “I knew you wanted me, same as any teenage boy naked in a lake with a girl. I didn’t know you liked me, though. You were always treating me like a sister, dragging me out of places and embarrassing me.”

“Never my intention. I was doing what I promised your brother I would do. Believe me, it wasn’t easy. I thought about it every minute for a year afterward, and at least once a day since.”

The admissions sent a thrill through her, and she wriggled closer. “Well, it so happens that I still think you’re pretty fine.”

“Thank you, ma’am. You’re pretty fine yourself. In fact”—he closed a hand over her hip and squeezed—“if you’re not busy for the next hour or so, I’d like to spend it making up for that night.”

She pressed closer to him. “Sounds good,” she whispered.

“I can’t give you the lake and the moon, but you do have that big bathtub, and we can leave the light on,” he said with a brow waggle.

She laughed and rolled away. “Meet you there!” She stood, buck naked, making an effort not to run, in spite of her nerves…to take it slow so that he could enjoy the view.

He groaned and let out a pained laugh. “My kingdom for a camera.”

She made it to the door and faced him. “You should bring us a couple ice waters. And maybe a snack. This is going to take a while.” She shut the door behind her and leaned against it. Why it was such a relief that Shane had suffered as much as she had that night, she couldn’t say. Maybe misery really did love company. Or maybe she was just a bad person. Either way, she felt a lightness and a confidence she hadn’t felt in years.

She crossed the long room and set a towel on the edge of the chilly white porcelain. The giant, claw-footed tub had been one of her favorite features of the house, and she’d made use of it many times over the past few years, but never with a man. Never with Shane.

She turned the water on hot and sat on the edge of the tub, waiting for it to fill. It was only halfway when he stepped into the room, arms laden with bottled water and a plate piled high with what looked like peanut butter sandwiches. She nearly snort-laughed. “You bypassed the strawberries and cheese in the fridge for peanut butter?”

“Peanut butter and Fluff. I didn’t want to be cliché. Plus,” he said, setting the food on the sink and giving her a slow wink, “we might need the protein.”

Despite his teasing words, the look of naked desire on his face make her heart kick double-time, and she reached for him, tugging his hips closer to line up with her face. “Seems like somebody is already prepped for game time,” she murmured, tugging his boxers down to release his swollen shaft. It bounced and settled high on his belly and she wet her lips. Big strong man, big and strong everywhere.

He hummed low in his throat and his response came on a growl. “He’s been waiting for some water sex with you for almost ten years.”

She tipped her head closer, shifting on her perch to get close enough for a long, slow lick.

“Ah, f*ck,” he groaned, tunneling a hand into her hair. She curled her fingers around his thick shaft and drew it down to flick the head with her tongue. His fingers tensed and the tug at her scalp made her smile.

“I think he likes me,” she whispered, making sure her warm breath washed over the length of him. She reveled in the warm, musky taste of him and went back for another long lick.

He cursed and stepped in, bringing himself more fully into her mouth, and she took him without hesitation. Steam curled around them, enveloping them in a warmth that settled over her and bloomed in her center as she sucked. She worked her throat muscles to draw him deeper, his whispered broken words of praise urging her on. Power and desire pulsed through her, and her * ached with need. She played her lips and tongue over the satin-encased steel until he jerked away, legs quivering. His cock pulsed as his harsh breathing echoed through the room.

“Get in the tub, Cat,” he demanded, closing a hand over his cock and fisting himself as she stood. As desperate as she was to move forward, she couldn’t take her eyes off him, cupping his heavy balls before stroking up the girth of his shaft, milking himself.

“Do you like to watch me?”

She nodded wordlessly.

“Would you like to watch me come like this? I could, so easily. Especially with you looking at me like that. Like the other night. When you were on your back, those gorgeous tits ready, nipples hard.” The chords in his neck stood out and his voice was all grit, his hand moving faster.

She stared down, mesmerized by the bead of moisture that had escaped the head of his cock. She reached out her hand, and he stilled, his breath choppy and uneven. “But not today. Turn off the tub, Cat, and get in. Now.”

The sharp command should have annoyed her. Instead it sent a bolt of lightning through her that settled between her thighs, and she found herself complying without hesitation.

“Don’t forget your knee,” he added, more softly this time. “It’s going to sting, so take it slow.”

Emotion clogged her throat. The lightning, or at least a paler form of it, she’d felt before. The sense of being cared for like that? Never. And damn if she didn’t like the combination.

She slipped into the tub with a sigh, the hot water caressing her toes, ankles, and calves until she sank down, immersing herself. The knee did sting, but the bliss of the water working over her tired muscles was heaven. Shane had given her a workout earlier.

“Slide toward the center so I can get in behind you,” he murmured.

She did and he stepped in to settle behind her, his thighs cradling her hips. The water sloshed to the edge of the tub and over, but she didn’t care. The feel of him, hot and hard against her back, was sublime.

He slid his arms around her waist and pulled her tighter to him, his thick cock branding her back.

“Nice,” she hissed, wishing she was facing him so her good parts lined up with his.

He kissed the top of her head. “It’s about to get even nicer.” He released her to trace a winding path over her rib cage beneath the water, gliding closer to the underside of her breasts with each pass. “Your skin is incredible.”

The tub squeaked as she shifted lower, trying to rush him, hoping to get him to cup her breasts. To pinch her aching nipples. Another slide and his thumb just narrowly missed one. She groaned in frustration as the bead tightened further, pouting for attention. “Touch me, Shane.”

“I am touching you, Mary Catherine. Just not where you want right now.” His voice was hypnotic and she stilled. He was going to do this his way, and the sooner she let him, the sooner he’d put her out of her sweet misery and reward her with a mind-blowing orgasm.

“Fine. Do your worst.”

He tossed his head back and laughed, his chest shaking against her back. “Such a martyr. I’m not trying to torture you like I used to, you know. This is just as hard on me.” He flexed his hips into the small of her back. “Harder, even. But tonight I’m determined to do the things I never got to at the lake.”

His fingertips skimmed over the swells of her breasts and again narrowly missed the stiff tips.

“Drape your legs over mine.”

She did. Her nipples grew impossibly tight, the heat of his gaze from over her shoulder setting her aflame. His hands abandoned her breasts, but before she could miss them, one was cupped over her stomach, the other cradling her pubic bone.

“You had on peach underwear,” he whispered, grinding the heel of his palm in exactly the right spot. “They were just cotton, boy-cut panties but I swear to God, they were sexier on you than any Victoria’s Secret thong I’ve ever seen. The bra matched. Sort of. Except for the tiny green polka dots.”

The hand on her stomach traveled up, covering her breast, and she arched into him.

“I wanted to trace every one of them with the tip of my tongue. Do you know I’ve had a polka dot fetish ever since?” His low laugh held more passion than humor. “You were a f*cking dream.”

His words were as seductive as his hands and she tried to twist around in his arms. “I want…you inside me, Shane. Please.”

But he held her still, continuing the delicious torture. “When you stepped into the water and tossed that look at me over your shoulder, all sass and dare, with that sweet ass peeking out the bottom of those underwear, a school of piranha couldn’t have stopped me.”

“P-piranhas only live in the Amazon,” she murmured, not caring that it sounded inane.

“I couldn’t help but wonder what was under there. A thatch of red curls? A sleek strip of rust? Now I know. So neat, and sweet.” She stared down between her thighs, mesmerized by his fingers, sliding over the smattering of strawberry hair and deeper, to part her folds.

“Ah, Jesus,” she whimpered, gnawing her bottom lip as his fingers found her *.

“Did you touch yourself that night, Mary Catherine?” She didn’t answer, sensation swamping her senses to the point that she didn’t trust herself to speak.

“Did you make yourself come thinking of me grinding against you in the warm water? F*ck knows, I did. I jerked off when I got home and came so hard, I thought my head was going to blow off.”

His clever fingers moved faster now, circling her * in a rhythm that made her throat ache from holding back a scream. “Nothing stopping us now, babe.” He curled his hand, sending two fingers deep, and she shuddered.

He grunted and froze. “So wet. Jesus, Cat. Stand up. I want to take you from behind so I can see us. See that sweet ass while I f*ck you.”

The need she’d thought couldn’t possibly get stronger doubled up in a rush. She stood and flipped on the shower. He rose behind her and pressed his palm against the center of her back, urging her to bend at the waist. She propped her hands on the slick gray tile, and dipped lower. The feel of his hot gaze encouraged her to take her time, pose a little for him. He must have liked the view because he let out a muffled groan. She gave her bottom a wiggle and peered over her shoulder to see his gaze locked on her.

“What are you waiting for?”

He shook his head as if to clear it. “Hell if I know,” he said with a pained smile. He closed his big, strong hands over her ass. He spread her wide, pressing his thumbs into the delicate tissue between her cheeks, and she moaned.

“That sound is making me nuts. I want to take it slow, but I need you so bad right now.” His voice was harsh, as if he’d walked miles in the desert without a sip of water. All she wanted to do was slake his thirst.

“I don’t want it slow. Don’t make me wait, Shane,” she pleaded.

He bit out a curse and then his hands slipped lower, massaging her from behind, spreading her wide. The thick head of his cock probed her slit, up and down, spreading her slick juices around her overheated flesh. Unable to take any more teasing, she flexed back against him, taking him deep. He tipped his hips forward until he was flush against her. For a moment, she forgot to breathe. The fullness was a double-edged sword. It was so sublime she almost wept, but at the same time it was torturous, turning want into a blaze of white-hot need.

“Please,” she whispered.

He didn’t answer, choosing to respond with his body. He pulled back, then arched forward, filling her again in an erotic slide. He repeated the motion, working in and out in slow, measured thrusts. She scrabbled at the tile, her hands like talons as he took her higher, luring her closer to the precipice. He rode her hard, with deep, steady strokes that curled her toes. He shifted, pushing her forward until every lunge ground the root of his cock hard against her aching *. The sensation roared through her, like a train at full speed.

“I’m going to come,” she groaned.

He encouraged her with murmured words, quickening his pace until the wave slammed into her, wrecking her. Her body felt as if it were made of light as the tremors shook her. She dimly heard him calling her name.

“That’s it. God, so tight.” On a shout, he tumbled after her. His cock pulsed deep inside her, and she held on as his body shook behind hers.

Pure satisfaction coursed through her when he leaned forward, draping his torso over her back. His heart beat a rapid tattoo against her spine, and she smiled.

When they were both able to breathe, he pulled away. He flipped off the shower and reached for her, scooping her in his arms.

She squealed, laughing as he carried her into the bedroom. “We’re soaking wet, and that’s a four-hundred-dollar silk comforter! Don’t even think of dropping me on that.”

He set her gently on the floor and went back into the bathroom, returning with some towels a few seconds later. “Dry off while I go get our forgotten snacks.”

Ten minutes later, replete with her lunchbox sandwich and great sex, she slipped back into the bed. “Delicious,” she groaned with a satisfied stretch. And it was. She replayed the night in her mind and shivered. Had she really thought of him as boring? God, she couldn’t have been more wrong.

He settled in behind her and wrapped his arm around her waist. “I’m glad you liked it.”

She traced his muscled forearm and marveled at how happy and settled she felt. The usual urge to run away was nowhere to be found. In fact, she wanted nothing more than to snuggle in tighter and sleep in his arms. Maybe this could work, after all. Just maybe…

Her mind wandered, fantasies of them vacationing on a tropical island and skiing together in Vermont ran through her head.

“Do you scuba dive?” she asked.

No response.

“Shane?”

She turned to look at him and realized he was dead asleep. His deep, even breaths—almost like a soft snore—had her grinning. They could talk tomorrow. She’d grill him about his date with Courtney and see if maybe he’d consider putting a hold on his MeetMyMate.com membership until they had a chance to explore this thing between them.

Thing? It’s love, you idiot.

The unbidden thought sent her pulse racing with terror, and she waited for the need to flee. But it never came. Was it possible that she’d found a man who was worth risking it for? A man who knew exactly who she was and who wasn’t intimidated by it? There was no way to know for sure, but for the first time in her life, she found herself wanting to see if this could go somewhere. If they could stick. She tucked in tighter, making herself the little spoon. Tomorrow, she would make Lacey proud and open up to a man for the first time in her life.

She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, visions of Shane in her head.