Playing Dirty (33 page)

If his eyes went any darker, they’d be black. “We’ll see who screams whose name first.” He dragged her up from the sofa and gave her bottom a playful swat when she bent to pick up her discarded dress. “Leave it,” he said, then urged her toward the stairs.
 

She tried not to feel too self-conscience walking up the stairs in front him while stark naked and he still completely dressed, but it wasn’t easy. He’d kept her off balance all day and again now, and she had a feeling that’s exactly the way he wanted her.
 

“You have a great ass,” he said as he gave her another firm pat on the rump.
 

That had her quickening her pace. She crested the top step and had barely crossed the threshold into the bedroom when he roughly grabbed hold of her and pushed her up against the wall. He kissed her. Hard. Possessively. Letting her know that he was the one calling the shots. All day long she’d endured the subtly of his touch, his veiled words, all by design. At any point during the day, all she’d have had to do was give him a sign and they’d have spent the afternoon in bed together. But she’d waited. Deliberately, knowing she wasn’t the only one who’d been hovering on the edge.

Her patience was paying off in spades. Despite how he’d already completely pleasured her, her body remained alert and responding to the way he was manhandling her.
 

She dragged her lips from his. “If you want to fuck my mouth,” she told him, “then strip, sailor.”

His eyes narrowed at her course language, but she was way too turned on to be embarrassed. “Be careful, Mattie,” he growled close to her ear. He banded his arm around her waist, holding her to him. “You’re testing patience I no longer possess.”

If she wasn’t already drenched and needy, she certainly would be now. “I like this side of you,” she admitted.
 

“You sure about that?”

“Oh, yes,” she said on a breathless whisper. She settled to her knees in front of him. “I want to taste you.”

“Do you trust me?” he asked, his voice strained.

She smoothed her hands up the back of his legs and placed teasing kisses on his thighs, inching closer to his thick, throbbing penis. “Of course, I do.”
 

He tucked his finger under her chin and tipped her head back until she was looking up into his desired-filled eyes. “I’ll never hurt you.”

She frowned. “I know that.”

A slow smile curved his mouth and the gleam in his eyes turned positively wicked. “Then take me in your mouth,” he ordered, his tone commanding. “And if you don’t keep your hands at your sides, I’ll tie them there.”

Heat pooled in her sex at his erotic threat. He held his cock for her as she slowly took him into her mouth. She suckled him, pulling him in as he slowly moved his hips, pumping deep into her throat. Her instinct was to hold his hips, to control the situation, but he wasn’t having it tonight. There was no doubt in her mind that while she might have set this evening in motion, Ford was definitely the one in the driver’s seat now.
 

Not that she objected. She’d been the only one in charge for so long, letting go, giving up that control to Ford and his hot, sexy demands was oddly liberating. By that same theory, she couldn’t help wondering if this wasn’t somehow cathartic for him after being subjected to the cruel whims of others and having no control.

He moaned as she pulled him even deeper. His fingers jammed into her hair and he stilled her movement, thrusting into her mouth. She breathed through her nose and fed whatever fantasy he’d been harboring.

His breathing grew ragged, then he abruptly stopped and pulled away from her. “Get on the bed,” he demanded, his voice harsh.

She licked her lips and hesitated just to see what he’d do.
 

He grabbed a handful of her hair and gave a gentle tug. “Get on the bed. Now.” The hoarse, rough sound of his voice had her sex slick with the need to feel him inside her. “Don’t test me.”

Slowly, she stood and climbed onto the bed, her knees cushioned by the mattress. From behind her, he urged her legs wider apart and with the head of his cock poised at her opening, he slowly filled her. A hedonistic moan of pleasure escaped his lips as he stroked her, sinking deep, then retreating, again and again.
 

Exquisite pleasure engulfed her. But this wasn’t about her. This was about him, and she was determined to make sure he knew it. She rocked against him, pushing her bottom up to give him deeper access to her core, clenching him with the walls of her vagina until he let loose with a wild groan as his own orgasm gathered strength.

“Deeper,” she encouraged him. “Harder.”

He wrapped her long hair around his hand. Then, without warning, he reared up and settled his free hand on her ass. He fulfilled the demands of her body by sinking himself to the hilt with each powerful thrust. She rode the long, hard length of him as he pushed into her. Her need pooled around the thick flesh thrusting inside her. He quickened the pace, causing a delicious friction that had her own nerve endings coming sharply into focus.
 

He pulled her head back, then his other hand, reached between her legs and caught her clit between his fingers. He gently squeezed and applied the right amount of pressure to send her flying over the edge. The orgasm rocked her, the explosion of sensation so strong, so powerful, she lost coherent thought. He let go of her and gripped her hips, holding her still as he drilled into her until he let out a moan, low and primal, as his own release tore through him.

She fell forward, leaning on her elbows, panting, her body still contracting around his. She let out a sound that could’ve been a chuff of laughter, but instead was the start of an onslaught of tears. Emotion clogged her throat, overwhelming her.
 

She eased away from Ford to curl onto her side. Vainly, she attempted to hide her tears, but failed as quiet sobs wracked her body.
 

“Oh God. Babe, I’m sorry.” He was beside her in an instant, pulling her into his arms. He brushed the hair from her face, his gaze filled with anguish and regret. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
 

She shook her head. “You didn’t,” she managed. “It’s just...it’s too much.” She wiped her eyes with the heel of her hands. “I love you. I’ve always loved you. I never thought...it just hit me all at once. You’re here. You’re really home.”

He visibly relaxed and let out a breath, then pulled her closer and wrapped his big body around hers. He didn’t make her any promises he thought she needed to hear, or whisper empty platitudes or heartfelt confessions of love. He didn’t have to, because she knew in her heart, he’d never leave her again.

* * *

Ford had a smile on his face before he opened his eyes that had a lot to do with the feel of Mattie’s bare ass tucked up against his groin. He was pretty certain he was hard before he even managed to blink.
 

Careful not to wake her, he reached above his head and attempted to stretch, hoping to work the kinks loose. Tightened muscles protested painfully. He was sore in places he forgot existed, not that he was complaining.
 

He reached for his watch on the nightstand, then squinted trying to read the time. Last he’d looked, it’d been a little after three am before he and Mattie had called it a night, so he wasn’t all that shocked to see it was now close to eleven o’clock.
 

He let out a sigh and set the watch back on the nightstand. They didn’t need to be at her dad’s until five, but they did have a two hour drive ahead of them, and they still needed to pack up and load the car. The way he figured it, they had at least three hours to kill, and he couldn’t think of a better way to spend that time than in bed with his wife.
 

“I’d ask if that was a gun in your pocket,” she said, her voice both soft and scratchy from sleep. “But seeing as you aren’t wearing any pants, I guess you’re just happy to see me.”

He slid his arm around her, his hand coming in instant contact with her breast. “You’re awake,” he said, placing little bites and soft kisses on her neck that made her moan and wedge her bottom more firmly against his erection.
 

“Leaky oil pan,” she said, turning her head slightly, giving him better access to her neck. “Rusty car parts soaking in gasoline.”

He kneaded the breast in his hand. “What are you talking about?”

“Smelly garbage cans.”

He chuckled, and thrust his hips against her curvy backside. “You have a strange idea of what constitutes pillow talk.”
 

She untangled her legs from his and moved so she was flat on her back. The sheet moved, too, dropping to expose her breasts. He waggled his eyebrows at her, then took one hard nipple in his mouth and gently sucked.
 

Her hips bucked as he suckled her. “Chick flicks,” she said with a quiet little laugh, then spread her legs for him. “Shoe shopping. Paying taxes.”

“Huh?” he murmured as he moved to her other breast. He cupped the weight of her in his palm and gently squeezed. Her back arched, and she shoved her fingers into his hair.

She rolled her hips again and slung her calf over his hip, widening her legs for him. “I’m trying to distract you,” she said.

He dragged his hand down her body, over her abdomen and lower, where he opened her folds. He gave her nipple one last tug before he slid his middle finger along her cleft to dip inside where she was hot and wet for him. “Yeah,” he said, as he slowly explored her core, searching for that rough little patch that would have her willing to do anything for release. He looked down at her, at her half-lidded eyes, her pink, swollen lips. She had that well and truly loved look about her that had his erection swelling and throbbing. “That’s working.” He found the spot he was looking for and she let go with a long, low groan of pleasure.
 

He eased out of her, dragged his dewy fingers over her already pulsing clit. She let out a hiss of breath, so he took his time, teasing that sensitive flesh. When he moved over her and settled himself between her legs, his erection pressed insistently against her opening. “You do realize this is going to happen, right?”

She wrapped her legs around his waist. “Make love to me, Ford.” The breathless whisper laced with need in her voice threatened his control. “Make another baby with me.”

He hesitated. Not because he didn’t want to make love to his wife, and not because she wanted to add to their family, but because he was moved beyond words or actions by the stark emotion, the fierce love in Mattie’s expressive green eyes.
 

Overcome by his own emotions, he lowered his head and kissed her, slowly, deeply as he sank into her, inch by inch, until he was buried to the hilt. She gasped into his mouth, no doubt sore after their night of some pretty wild sex. He ended the kiss and braced his weight on his elbows. As they made love, he held her gaze and thrust into her hot, slick core as gently as he was capable of, trying to be considerate of any lingering tenderness she might be experiencing.
 

The tempo increased, his thrusts becoming harder, her body accepting the full length of him. “More,” she demanded, hungrily lifting her hips to meet his.
 

He picked up the pace and met her demands. She clung to him as their bodies slid together, slick with sweat. With supreme effort, he stilled long enough to snag one of the bed pillows and push it beneath her bottom. The angle gave him greater access and before long, she cried out as he pushed his body into hers again and again. With her head tipped back, she called his name, her voice frantic as the pleasure intensified.
 

Her body clenched around his as her cries coalesced into a moan so wild, so primal, it pushed him higher. He joined her on the precipice, and together they exploded into sweet oblivion. She milked him, her walls contracting around him, draining him, taking all he had to give.
 

Afterward, their breathing returning to normal and their heart rates slowed, they dozed in each other’s arms. The last thing Ford remembered before drifting off to sleep again was that nothing in his life was more important than the woman beside him, and their daughter. He thought of the bastard who’d taken so much pleasure torturing him, and how much he’d love to be the one to end the son-of-a-bitch. But, as he hugged Mattie closer, he finally understood that no score was worth settling if the people he loved were hurt in the process.
 

Eighteen

FOR THE FIRST time since returning from Europe, Mattie was convinced she’d once again found peace in her life. Giving credit where it was due, Mattie conceded that Griffen had been right. She and Ford
had
needed to spend a weekend away, just the two of them. And in the two months following their trip to Possum Kingdom Lake, they’d been on the same page. For the first time in a long while, she’d even begun to feel hopeful of what the future might bring.
 

She carried the last of the dirty dishes into the kitchen where Lily and Griffen worked in tandem between putting away leftovers and loading the dishwasher, then went back to the formal dining room for the table linens. A series of disappointed groans erupted in the family room where Ford, her dad and Austin were watching the Texas Wranglers lose their third straight game of the season. Phoebe lay sprawled on the floor near where Ford sat in the recliner, coloring. Jessie sat patiently in the corner of the kitchen by her food bowl, waiting for stray scraps. Every so often, she’d nudge her food bowl with her snout, just to remind them she wasn’t about to be dismissed on the treat front.