Hearths of Fire (14 page)

Charlotte rose to her elbows to see Neal grinning up at her with his perfect smile
and a five o’clock shadow that had tickled her skin with each kiss. Her frustrated
sigh and obvious frown did nothing to speed up the process of undressing the two of
them. She tried to sit up, but he quickly laid himself over her and claimed her lips,
using the momentum to push her back onto the pillows.

“You don’t get to rush this, Char.” The fierce intensity that came through those dominant
words made her stomach flutter. It crossed her mind once more that this wasn’t the
inexperienced lovesick boy she used to know. “I’m going to take my time getting to
know your body—what you like, what you love, and what makes you scream my name. And
then I’m going to do it all over again.”

Before Charlotte could catch her breath, Neal slid down her form, pulled her panties
off and used his large hands to spread her trembling legs. In one slow motion he gently
swiped his electrified middle finger through her wet folds and brought the reward
of her glistening cream to his lips. He sucked it clean and she wanted nothing more
than to have his mouth where his finger had been. Instead he stayed where he was and
continued to trace her mound with his finger. She could have sworn he was transmitting
tiny sparks with every glide against her labia.

“Bare. I like that, Char…a lot.” Neal continued to outline her now throbbing clit
without actually touching the intensely sensitive tissue. “You’re open to me and my
touch with nothing to prevent you from feeling every single thing that I’m going to
do to you.”

Charlotte wondered when he’d become so verbal during lovemaking but she decided she’d
be better off not knowing. His words were like warm molasses being poured over her
and seeping into every recess they could find. She placed her arms above her head,
grabbing the headboard for something to hold on to. Her hair had gotten in her face
but she didn’t care. She arched into his touch, wanting more of what he promised.

“Keep your hands there,” Neal ordered in such a manner she never thought to refuse
him. It wasn’t like she could release her vise grip on the antique turned wooden dowels.
It seemed to be the only thing keeping her from flying off of the bed. His hands spread
her inner thighs even farther apart as he settled in between her legs. “I want complete
access to you.”

Charlotte had no doubt she would have rocketed off of the bed had he not had a firm
grip on her. When his tongue gathered her cream and then leisurely pressed against
her engorged clit, she cried out and tightened her hold on the pillars. Squeezing
her eyes tightly shut, her body was subjected to pleasure beyond anything she’d yet
experienced. Never once did he hurry and with every twirl, flick, and swipe of his
tongue, he carried her further to what she knew would be a life-altering orgasm.

Neal slid a finger inside of her, and when he started to slowly thrust in and out
of her pussy while crooking it just so Charlotte couldn’t hold her hips still. His
five o’clock shadow was rubbing against her labia and causing a slight burn, which
fueled her on even more. She felt herself climbing higher and higher, but when he
pulled his finger out and moved it lower, everything came to a crashing halt.

“Neal?” Charlotte couldn’t keep the tentative call of his name from falling off of
her lips. Her eyes popped open and she stared at the ceiling as he continued to do
what she thought he was doing. His finger was so wet from her cream that although
he had no trouble separating her sphincter, it felt as if his cock was entering that
unexploited area. “I don’t think—”

“Don’t think.” Neal’s words vibrated against her clit, but there were nerves being
stimulated that had never been awakened before. He gradually pushed his finger fully
into her anus until she felt uncomfortably full and yet it seemed to be the trigger
that her body had been waiting for. “Come for me.”

Neal suckled her clit as Charlotte’s release washed over her, causing her anus to
clamp down on his finger. The longer he drew on her clit, the waves of her orgasm
became drawn out as well. Her abdomen muscles were taut as strings on a violin as
she tried to stem the pleasure because it felt so overwhelming, but no matter how
much she tightened her body, Neal knew exactly what to do to prolong her pleasure
to immeasurable lengths. By the time she could lower her back onto the mattress, she
could barely get enough oxygen into her lungs to prevent the bright pinpoints of light
that had been flashing behind her eyelids.

“Don’t move.”

Charlotte forced herself to turn her head and watch as he went into the bathroom.
When Neal returned, he had a hand towel with him along with a condom wrapper. As he
set them on the side table and then slid his denim over his lean hips, she couldn’t
help but admire the view. She noticed that when his arm flexed, his tattoo shifted
gracefully in the golden light. He had no idea how sexy the accessory was on his sun-kissed
flesh.

“I get to explore too,” Charlotte said, her voice and strength returning slightly.
She hadn’t felt so tranquil since…well, she couldn’t remember. When Neal finally stepped
out of his jeans and stood, she swallowed hard at the sight of his thick erect cock.
Relaxation started to ease away and was being replaced by longing once more. If all
it took for her body to respond so quickly after such a mind-blowing release was the
sight of his body, she wasn’t so sure one night was going to be enough. “I want to
touch you. I need to touch you, Neal.”

“Then come here, Char. Show me how much you missed me.”

‡

N
eal hadn’t meant
to say those words in that manner, but kissing and stroking Charlotte seemed as natural
as breathing. Her body had grown into that of a woman and she tasted like the sunshine
that shone down on him every morning waking up in San Diego—warm, serene, and soothing.
He had to tell himself several times to not get caught up in the moment and make it
more than what it was. As Charlotte rose off of the bed, her large breasts swayed
gracefully with her movements and he made a fist to keep from reaching out to her.
She said she wanted to touch him and that’s what he would allow. They both needed
this to squelch any remaining desire they may have for one another. He’d had his time
to savor her…she was due hers.

“When did you get this?” Charlotte whispered, coming to stand in front of him and
lightly tracing his tattoo with her index finger. Her touch felt like fire as she
continued to outline the image of the tribal ink image. “I never pictured you as a
bad boy, Neal.”

“We’ve both changed, Char,” Neal said, keeping his voice low and not wanting to disturb
what they had going on in that moment. He didn’t want the past interfering right now,
although he did want to share with her why the tattoo was such a part of him. “The
unit I was in lost a good man on our last deployment. He was Native American and we
wanted to honor him in our way. I guess you could say it was our way of celebrating
his life and carrying on his legacy.”

“The woman who came to see you in June,” Char said, looking up at him with her blue
eyes and he had to wonder if he caught a glimpse jealousy at her mention of Starr.
“She is Native American too. Was she related to him?”

“No,” Neal answered with a shake of his head. This conversation was carrying on a
little too long for his liking and his cock was starting to agree. “Catori Starr is
my boss and I really don’t want to discuss her right now. I liked your earlier thought
of touching me.”

Charlotte smiled slowly, finally moving on from his tattoo and trailing her fingers
across his chest. Neal felt as if she were melting his skin with her touch and when
she leaned forward and placed her warm lips on his nipple, he let his head dip to
watch. Damn but it was good to finally
feel
her. She surprised him by walking around him and stroking his back as if she were
taking inventory…a sensual inventory. When her fingers dropped to the crevice of his
ass, he whipped around captured her in his arms.

“You’re playing with fire,” Neal said harshly against her parted lips. “You have two
minutes to explore to your heart’s content and then I’m taking over.”

“You like being in charge?” Charlotte whispered, her breath mingling with his. She
locked eyes with him and it was clear that she was challenging him and he felt his
dominance rearing back. “What if I want my way with you? What if I want to tie you
to my bed and have my wicked way with your body?”

Neal barely contained the smile that was forming on the edges of his lips at her fiery
nature. It would be when hell froze over that he would be tied to her bed. Now her,
on the other hand…he’d love to see her sprawled spread eagle across the mattress where
he could have his way with her.

“Make no mistake on what our roles are for tonight.” Neal made sure to reiterate out
loud that this was only a one-time thing while in the back of his mind knowing that
each night until he left he would find himself in this room. He pulled back slightly,
giving her one more chance to continue with her exploration. “You’re running out of
time.”

“I better do something about that,” Charlotte said, running her hands down his chest
as she lowered her body in front of his. Neal tilted his head, taking in the sight
of her on her knees. She looked like a fucking angel with her blonde hair cascading
around her shoulders and her blue eyes looking up at him with mischief bouncing around
in them like a butterfly unsure where to perch. He wasn’t even remotely in a lighthearted
mood, especially considering that her mouth was inches from his eager cock. He sucked
in air when her delicate fingers gently wrapped around his width. “Its shaft always
did fit perfectly in my grip.”

Those were the last words Neal heard before he witnessed Charlotte’s pretty pink lips
part to allow her tongue to dart out and lap up the pearl of pre-cum that had approached
the event horizon. There was a current between the two of them that had nothing to
do with electricity. Her other hand came up between his legs to cup his balls and
he had to lock his knees when she lightly massaged them. Needing something, anything
to hold on to, he slid his fingers into her hair.

“Take me in your mouth.” Neal couldn’t prevent the demand from being spoken. Lines
of energy were shooting up his thighs and straight into his balls every time she moved
the skin around his sac. His request had been to alleviate the building pressure,
but all that happened when she finally took his cock into her mouth was make it worse.
“You feel so fucking good.”

Neal couldn’t take his eyes off of her as she continued to take him in and out of
her mouth. Charlotte captivated him in a way that almost appeared to be some sort
of spell that hadn’t evaporated after all of this time. In the back of his mind he
knew continuing on with this night was a mistake. This wasn’t exorcising their demons…this
was only adding to the craving that had built up over the years. When her tongue swirled
around the tip of his cock, he pushed all reason out the window and would deal with
the consequences when he crossed that bridge.

Charlotte moved her left hand down until only her finger and thumb circled the base
of his shaft. Now that she had a firm hold on him, he wasn’t surprised when she slid
him into her mouth. His tip was at the back of her throat, triggering another release
of pre-cum. He swore he could feel the path it took from his balls through his dick.
She swallowed, garnering a guttural groan from his chest.

Neal had to close his eyes as a wave of lightheadedness overcame him. It felt as if
she was assaulting his very being with her innate sensuality. The warm and smooth
sensations from her mouth combined with the gentle yet firm hold of her hands would
have him falling over the precipice in no time. He wasn’t going to allow himself to
come like this. No, he would be balls deep inside of her and they would damn well
achieve their release together.

“Stop now.”

It didn’t surprise Neal in the least when she continued to take him into her mouth
and even drew him farther in than before. His tip could feel the constriction of her
throat and damn if she didn’t start rolling his other ball in between her fingertips.
Bright lights were starting to appear before him and he gave himself three more seconds
of bliss before firmly pulling his cock from her mouth and taking a much-needed breath.

“I wasn’t done,” Charlotte said huskily, her arousal evident. There was something
about a woman who enjoyed the act of pleasing her man that elevated their own desirability.
She once again lightly kneaded his balls as if she knew she had him in the palm of
her hands. “I want more, Neal.”

Using his hold on her hair and offering her one hand, he tenderly helped her into
a standing position before him. Charlotte’s lips had gone from a light pink to a rouge
and he had to claim them once more. Tightening his grip on the long blonde strands,
he tilted her head just right. Her breasts were pressed against his chest and his
cock was nestled against her stomach. It felt as if there wasn’t an inch of them that
wasn’t connected in some way.