Muzzling the Beast: Taming the Beast, Book 4 (5 page)

“Will you ask her?”

Constance would rather go on a date with Farron, but she finally nodded.

Before things got too tense between them, the server arrived with their oysters. Gabe concentrated on the young man, rather than Constance, hoping she hadn’t guessed how he’d lied just now. Not a lot…just enough to get inside the office.

Gabe honestly didn’t think anything weird was going on like hissing and howling. Good Lord, what was wrong with Father saying—

His thoughts paused as a memory suddenly nagged, one he couldn’t quite bring up. No different from the other day when this had happened. Damn. It had something to do with the noises Father claimed to have heard. Frowning, Gabe racked his brain, trying to snag it.

“Sir, is everything all right?”

He glanced at the server. “Yeah, smells great.” The scent of cayenne, onion, and other spices wafted toward him, the oysters plump and bubbling in their shells, blanketed with a rich sauce of shrimp and mushrooms browned to perfection.

The young man eased one serving onto a plate for Constance and placed it in front of her. She didn’t bother to look at the appetizer, her attention remaining on Gabe.

Again, he sensed her concern and it worried him, though not because she thought he was losing his mind. What if she was hiding something, like Becca and the others were engaged in an illegal activity, with Constance trying to protect them?

Fuck, not that. Please.

Worried, Gabe decided he’d chat with everyone while he was there. He’d be informal, even friendly, so he didn’t frighten them, particularly Heather. If they were up to something, he’d have a long, hard talk with Constance in order to protect her. As to the others…well, he’d do what he could to keep them from too much shit.

As the server left, Gabe tried to lighten the mood. “Look good?”

Constance’s expression went blank as if she wasn’t following.

He cut a piece of his oyster, slipped his fingers beneath her chin, and brought the food to her lips. “Go on…enjoy.”

She tongued the morsel into her mouth and moaned softly at its taste.

Leaning over, Gabe licked a pearl of sauce from her bottom lip. When he eased away, she had a dazed look about her, clearly from lust.

Aw, hell, she had to be clean and so did the others. Gabe simply wouldn’t allow any other outcome, nor would he trouble over it any longer.

He fed her the oysters, she fed him, each of them pausing to smile and laugh about their kitchen fiascos when they’d tried to cook complicated meals like this. Their talk veered to TV programs, movies, sports, and obnoxious tourists. It felt good. Free and comforting, the way a man and a woman should behave. No BS or dumb games—just two people getting to know each other, liking what they learned.

Constance was a basketball nut but absolutely loathed football. She’d bought all the seasons of
Suits, Grey’s Anatomy,
and
Nashville
so she could watch them endlessly. When Gabe confessed to liking
The Walking Dead
and thrillers by the late Lawrence Sanders, she clapped her hands, delighted his tastes were the same as hers, and then discussed highlights of the TV shows and books.

By the time their entrées came, Constance was licking sauce from the tip of his forefinger, clearly not caring if the server or the other diners noticed.

Attagirl.

They shared from each other’s plates to see who’d gotten the choicest piece. Gabe hadn’t a clue, not tasting most of what she slipped into his mouth. He was too enthralled with her, wanting to know everything and then some. “Are you a native of this area?”

“Family has been here for generations.”

So had his. “Your mom and dad live in this parish?”

Constance ran her tongue over her lips and released a soft sigh as if she were still enjoying the spices from the fish.

Gabe sure as hell liked watching her, his throat tightening with so much desire, he found it impossible to swallow.

When she speared another piece of salmon rather than answering him, he waited a moment, uncertain whether to repeat his question or not. Could be she hadn’t heard him during her culinary orgasm. At last, he asked again about her parents.

Constance chewed slower than she had before, her delicate nostrils flaring slightly with what might have been pleasure. Unless she was suddenly having trouble breathing because something had disturbed her. His question perhaps?

Oh, come on. Quit being a damn cop. Just be a man.

Determined to do so, Gabe waited patiently, without misgiving.

“Saint Tammany,” she finally said. “But they’re rarely around, their house I mean. Both of them retired early and they travel a lot.”

He swallowed his sip of wine. “What did they do?”

For a moment, she looked like a deer caught in the proverbial headlights, quickly hiding it with her smile. “Teachers—for private schools all over the area. They went where they were needed.”

The exact words he’d used when telling her about his job. What a coincidence that her parents had the same setup. That is, if they really were teachers. The cop in him was back, dammit, and growing increasingly suspicious. Gabe warned himself to knock it off. He had no right to know about her private life. Could be her parents were trolls and she didn’t want to admit it. However, he was still eager for some information. “I know this sounds silly, given how we’re sharing this meal and those wonderful times we’ve kissed.” He grinned. “But I don’t know your last name. What is it?”

She stopped mid-chew and downed half her wine before coming up for air. “Seriously, I didn’t tell you? We have been bad.” She inclined her head suggestively, giving him the once-over, lingering on his mouth, chest, and what little she could see of his lap covered by his napkin. “It’s Chastain.”

“Beautiful.”

Her expression softened with what appeared to be longing followed by a brief flash of deep despair.

Surprised, he touched her wrist. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

Bull. Her eyes sparkled more than they should, as if she was about to cry. Constance seemed to quickly dismiss her sorrow, or whatever it had been, and resumed eating as if nothing had happened.

Before Gabe could draw her out—guessing this was about her parents, who were likely worse than trolls—strolling musicians stopped at their table, playing a romantic piece on their violins.

Constance pressed her knee against his. Gabe stroked her fingers, forgetting his questions. Her hair was so dark it had a slight blue sheen. The candlelight made her seem more a vision than real, her ivory gown reminding him of what women wore in this area centuries ago.

Although Gabe knew very little about Constance, it was as if they’d dated forever, his reaction to her as much emotional as physical. He felt oddly peaceful with her, as he hadn’t with many women he’d just met or those he’d known for years.

The musicians ended their piece, nodded happily at the generous tip he gave them, and moved on. He and Constance finished their meal in contented silence.

Their beignets arrived buried beneath a thick coating of powdered sugar. Despite the outstanding aroma, Constance didn’t touch hers.

“You want something else?” Gabe asked.

She nodded.

He thought back to what he’d seen on the menu the other times he’d been here. “Bananas Foster?”

She shook her head.

“Bread pudding? Pralines? Both?”

“No, no, and no.”

He chuckled. “I’ve run out of choices. What do you want?”

“You. Take me to your place tonight. Please.”

Chapter Five

It was reckless for her to ask, but Constance didn’t care. This was her only chance to be with Gabe, a man she’d never expected to meet, one she’d never have.

The reality was so crushing she couldn’t deny herself any longer. As soon as their one night was over, she’d have to plant false memories of him having toured the business and having found it blander than an Osmond TV special. Once he’d set Father Archambault’s mind at ease, she’d erase Gabe’s recollection of the place and her, leaving him to his future and another woman, while she continued to yearn.

She couldn’t remove every trace of him from her mind. Already their moments together were too precious to lose, especially now.

Pure pleasure raced across his handsome features, feeding her hungry soul and needy heart.

“Just give me a sec,” he said. After gesturing for the server, Gabe turned back to her. “Want to take the beignets with us?”

“Do you have a rule against eating in bed?”

“As far as I’m concerned, we shouldn’t eat anywhere else.” Before she could comment or smile, he kissed her hard and long, as though the crowd didn’t exist, his passion so real Constance moaned in protest when he eased away.

Breathing as hard as she was, Gabe handed the plate of beignets to the server. “We’ll be taking these with us, and I’m ready for the bill.”

Minutes later, with the bag in one hand and hers in his other, Gabe hurried Constance from the dining area to his car in a no-parking zone.

“Bad boy.” She snuggled close, rubbing her boobs over his arm and chest. “Better watch it or you’ll get towed.”

“No one would dare.” He sounded huskier than she’d ever heard him. “I’m a cop.”

Yes, he was, and right now Constance couldn’t imagine anything more exciting. She ran her fingers down his tie to his belt, stopping short of the precious cargo behind his fly. “Did you bring your cuffs?”

His expression intensified with untamed desire. Swooping down, he kissed her so greedily Constance had to restrain herself from pushing him to the asphalt and crawling all over him.

They made out in his car, not bothering to come up for air even when someone banged on the window, laughed and shouted, “Get a room.”

Excellent idea.

Gabe drove like a maniac to his place, his throat bobbing crazily as she stroked his cock and balls through his pants. She would have unzipped and released him but worried he might hit something, delaying their joy with all the crappy paperwork he’d have to fill out.

He parked smack in the middle of two spaces at an upscale condo development, giving her no time to take in the three-story structure. With her pressed against his front door, Gabe ground his groin into hers and fumbled with the lock.

It took him too long to open it. Once inside, he kicked the door closed, turned the deadbolt, and flicked on the lights.

She dropped her purse, grinning at the cool breath of air conditioning and the cuffs dangling from his thumb. Faster than Constance believed possible, he was on her again, this kiss more savage than the others. She growled in response, pulling at his clothes as he did with hers, the bag of beignets and cuffs getting in his way, though he didn’t drop them.

Their kiss was noisy and enduring as they stumbled down the hall into his bedroom.

Breaking free of her, Gabe flipped on the lights, showing a neat yet masculine space with pictures of faraway places on the wall—what might have been Mt. Everest, another of the rainforest. A dark, chunky dresser and leather chair stood to one side, with most of the area dominated by the bed, wonderfully big and just long enough for him. Best of all, it had an awesome mahogany headboard.

“You have slats,” she said.

Gabe had already dropped the bag on the nightstand. After pulling a string of condoms from the top drawer, he turned to his bed. “Yep.”

“Perfect.” Constance kicked off her high-heel slides.

He grinned at the leopard-skin print and then sobered quickly. “Not so fast.”

Her hands stalled on the neckline of her gown, already worn off the shoulder, which meant it wouldn’t take a whole lot to push it off the rest of her. “You want to go slow? Seriously?”

He was practically drooling, with Constance well past the point of no return.

“I want you to strip and then undress me,” he said.

“You’re beyond bad.”

He swung the cuffs on his thumb. “Let’s see.”

Damn. Constance liked the way he played. To toy with him, she simply ran her fingertips over the neckline of her gown. “Sure you still want to go slow?”

His tie wiggled with his rough breathing, while his cock thickened nicely, pushing against his pants. “Rush and there will be hell to pay.”

A spanking? He was preaching to the choir, which made this too wonderful. Once it was over, she was going to be a freaking mess. The thought should have sent Constance racing out the door. Instead, she gave in to real pleasure, as she’d never done with another man. She didn’t have to act like a sex fiend with Gabe in order to keep his interest. Constance honestly wanted him, and by God, it looked like he felt the same about her.

But he didn’t have a clue what she really was and did for a living.

Rather than dwell on the bad, Constance eased out of her gown. The lightweight silk slid past her boobs, waist, hips, and thighs to puddle at her feet.

He gaped at her black bodysuit, the sweetheart cups displaying her boobs seductively. Before Gabe could recover, Constance kicked her gown aside and turned, hearing his sharp intake of breath. No surprise given the back of her lingerie was minimal, the thong revealing her naked ass.

When she looked over, Gabe was staring at her cheeks, arms hanging limply at his sides, cuffs forgotten for the moment.

Now she had him. Filled with confidence, Constance lowered the side zipper slowly and turned, allowing the front of the bodysuit to fall away from her breasts. Her nipples were so erect from his attention and the coolish air in here, they stung pleasantly, aching for his mouth and tongue.

He prowled toward her and stopped as if he didn’t want to rush or his legs wouldn’t work any longer.

Didn’t matter. If it killed both of them, they were going to have this night.

Constance eased the bodysuit past her hips and thighs, finally stepping out of it as she had her gown. Naked, she faced him without shame, loving how his color heightened as he stared at her curly bush and what he could see of her delicate folds, already damp with her desire for him.

She murmured, “Now it’s your turn.”

Gabe reached for her, though he seemed uncertain which part to touch first. His hands hovered near her breasts, cunt, hips. Before he decided, Constance caught his wrists, her fingers unable to go fully around them, they were so thick.

“Don’t move,” she said.

“Are you kidding?”

“Wait till I’ve undressed you and then do whatever you want. And I do mean whatever.”

He looked like he might explode from too much lust. Clearly not wanting to fight it, he tried to tongue her nipple. Constance leaned away. “You’re still dressed.”

Gabe muttered an oath and nodded. “Fine. I’ll help you.”

“Uh-uh, it’s not what you said.”

“Screw what I said.”

She tightened her grip. “Let me do it my way. Please.” She had to make this last, savor these moments for the lonely times ahead.

He blew out a breath. “Don’t go too slow unless you want to kill me.”

And miss all this pleasure? “Wouldn’t think of it.”

She brushed her lips over his temple while easing his jacket off his shoulders and arms. The garment fell at his feet with a soft rustle, the sound nearly lost beneath the hard pounding of her pulse. His shoulder holster and gun seemed enormous and deadly, yet wildly masculine too. Unable to resist, Constance ran her fingertips over the grip and leather. “We’ll come back for this later. Right now, I want to see your real weapon.”

He laughed and sucked in more air as Constance sank to her knees and unbuckled his belt. The clink of metal, the rasp of his zipper sent bursts of heat through her, with the warmth settling in her pussy. A pulse ticked deep within, an invitation for his cock.

Not yet.

Undressing him was like opening a longed-for gift she’d never believed existed.

It didn’t really. Tonight was no more than make-believe on her part. Come morning, reality would intrude, bringing with it all sorts of crap she honestly didn’t want to consider now.

With his pants undone, she looked up, pleased Gabe was watching, his grin proving how much he was enjoying himself. He hadn’t a clue the wonders Constance had in store for him. Easing her thumbs beneath the waistbands of his pants and navy boxers—the stretchy kind that were totally sexy—she pulled them down with no hesitation, moving more swiftly than she’d intended.

His cock sprang out and bobbed slightly between the tails of his shirt, the shaft rigid as hell, fucking long and thick too. A perfect specimen of male power, the same as his lightly furred balls. She trembled with need denied for too long, burning his masculine beauty into her brain. Veins snaked up his rod’s impressive length, its color reminding her of cocoa, his crown slightly darker from passion, decidedly beefy, a delicious mouthful. The pearl of pre-come on the small slit at the top finally undid her.

She pressed her face into his thick nest of curls, inhaling his natural musk, a fragrance no manufactured scent could ever surpass. Wishing she could bottle it, Constance brushed her lips over the root of his cock even as she ran her hands past his narrow hips to his hard ass and beyond…the furrow between his cheeks.

On a strangled sound, Gabe pushed to his toes as she explored this area of him that was so silky and warm. She lingered on the tight ring of his anus. Stroking it, she smiled at how he squirmed, the animal noises he made.

Lovely, but not enough. Constance needed it all so these moments would endure through the empty days ahead. She licked the length of his rod, savoring its faint salty taste, then swirled her tongue over the head before flicking it against the bumpy skin in the back.

Groaning loudly, he clasped her head and drove his fingers through her hair as if to keep her close.

She wasn’t going anywhere yet. After licking the most sensitive part of him again, she eased his cock aside. Gabe loosened his grip as if he didn’t understand what she was doing. Constance showed him, lapping his sac and taking his right ball in her mouth.

“Aw God,” he cried, gripping her head harder than he had earlier.

While stroking his tight ring, she also explored his ball with her tongue, loving its weight and warmth in her mouth. Gabe babbled something she didn’t understand and figured he didn’t either. The man was too far gone to make sense. His cock kept bobbing against her cheek as if to say, “Me next. Me.”

In time, baby.

For now, Constance had too much to do, loving his boy good and long before she released it and eased his other inside her mouth.

Gabe seemed beyond words, the noises he made conveying his pleasure. With one hand, she teased his anus while she worked his rod with the other and continued to suckle his nut.

A coarse sound escaped him, part groan, part bellow as he tugged her hair. “No, no, no. I’m going to come.”

Yeah, so?

“I want to be inside you,” he cried.

Hearing his desperation, Constance freed his ball and looked up. He’d clenched his jaw so tightly it must have hurt. His complexion was nearly as dark as hers, face bathed in perspiration. “No problem.”

She took him in her mouth.

Gabe groaned loud enough to wake his neighbors but pressed closer, his movements telling Constance what he seemed unable to say. He wanted her to take his full length inside.

A challenge given his length, clearly more than average, though Constance was hardly daunted.

As she opened her throat to take even more of him in, Gabe held the back of her head in what seemed to be encouragement. Little by little, they moved closer to each other until the tip of her nose finally touched his fragrant pelt. She inhaled deeply of it and sighed.

He grunted. “More.”

Ever obedient to their desires, Constance cradled his nuts in her hand, fondling them gently as she eased his cock out of her mouth and took him deep within once more, her tongue licking, stroking, tempting.

Gabe choked out a new noise, more primitive than the previous ones, his hips pumping as he tried to control the act.

Constance wasn’t about to allow it. Again, she eased back and stopped when his crown was between her lips. After imprisoning his succulent flesh, she ran the tip of her tongue slowly over him.

Gabe’s knees bumped into her shoulders, his balls constricting even more as though ready to shoot their load.

Not yet.
Constance wanted both of them to work for it. When Gabe finally seemed unable to draw an adequate breath, she stilled.

It took him a few seconds to catch up. “What are you doing? Why’d you stop? Don’t—
oh shit—holy crap.”

She was back at it, giving him her best, doing his cock fast and hard just as she figured he liked.

Did he ever. His come spurted into her mouth, thick and velvety.

Constance drank all of it without pause, even licking the length of his shaft and balls before she opened her arms and invited him into her embrace.

He dropped to his knees, chest heaving, arms resting around her waist.

Their weight and warmth were a comfort she could get used to but would never know for long. Pushing sorrow aside, she restrained her powers and stroked his head. Now wasn’t the time for him to forget this. It would come when she had no other choice. “Good?”

He grunted something.

Smiling, she teased, “Bad?”

He pulled her into his embrace with far more strength than he should have had.

Whoa.
“You’re cocked and loaded again? Already?”

“Fucking A.” He paused to catch more breath. “On the bed.”

Gabe figured the next few minutes might kill him, but no damn way was he going to let on how pooped he was. He didn’t want their relationship to begin on such a note, needing to prove he had endurance to spare.