Tingle All the Way (8 page)

A heartbeat ticked by before he began to
move. His thrusts might have begun slow and easy, but when his anal muscles and
ass cheeks clenched and contractions burst inside his testicles, he slammed
into her making feral sounds the likes of which he had never heard coming from
his vocal chords.

Half crazed by passion, he barely heard her
cry out again, but he definitely felt her body fisting his. His toes curled. As
he crushed his hips against her ass, his body stiffened, the abyss holding him
in its embrace before his sight wavered and it felt as if a stick of dynamite
went off inside his cock. His seed shot forward with a sting almost too
unbearable to endure.

But fuck, it felt so good.

The violent surge washed away the remainder
of his sight, leaving him in nothing but a darkness of blissful sensations. All
too soon he felt himself plummeting back to earth, physically and mentally
exhausted.

Barry gasped, fighting for breath, and it
didn’t appear he was the only one. Kayla swallowed one after another mouthfuls
of air. Her body shook so badly he whispered her name. The last thing he wanted
was to hurt her.

“Are you okay?” Silence lingered as his
concern grew. He eased from her body, running a palm down her back. “Baby?”

Kayla raised her head, glancing over her
shoulder as a slow, drowsy smile touched her mouth. The sated, carnal
expression reached out and wrapped itself around his heart and tugged, hard.

“I can barely stand up,” she murmured.

“Me either. Let’s get out of here.”

As quickly as they were able, they soaped
down again and rinsed off. Kayla was lost in the folds of a big, fluffy towel
when Barry crawled out of the shower. As she draped another towel turban-style
around her head, he dried off and then followed her into the bedroom.

Going directly to the large armoire, he
slid the doors open to reveal the flat-screen television inside and switched it
on, taking the controller with him to the bed. Slipping between the cool
sheets, he watched her as she ran the towel over her long blonde hair.

“There’s a comb and brush on the dresser.”
Voices from the television jumbled as he flipped through the channels. “What do
you want to watch?”

“Anything.” She pulled a comb through her
hair.

Barry settled on a Christmas special before
laying the changer on the nightstand. “Come here, baby. I’ll do that for you.”

Her eyes rose to meet his. “You will?”

“Sure.” Fluffing the pillows behind him, he
propped his back against them, then spread his legs and waited.

Appearing somewhat skeptical, she crawled
upon the bed and eased between his thighs, handing him the brush and comb.
Slowly and carefully, he drew the comb through her hair.

Kayla sighed. “Mmmm… That feels good.”

Barry kissed her shoulder, smelling her clean,
fresh scent. “You feel good.” And as soon as he had time to recuperate, he’d
show her just how good. He ran a palm down her bare arm.

When the telephone rang he placed the comb
down. That would be Stan confirming that he would be attending the party tonight.
Since Barry had something to ask him, he excused himself, answering the phone
on his way into the bathroom.

“Hello.”

“It’s on for tonight. I hope your mom has
invited her slew of single women, I’m thinking I need a wife for the night.”
Stan chortled at his own joke.

“I’m sure she has, but I have a favor to
ask you. You know that woman from O’Malley’s?”

“Yeah. I’m all ears.”

“Well, she’ll be attending the party. I
don’t have time to swing by the store and get her a Christmas present so I was
wondering if you could help me out.”

“Sure. What do you have in mind?”

Finishing his conversation with Stan, Barry
hung up. Next he dialed the pizza parlor down the street and ordered, then
rejoined Kayla. Before he slid into bed, he placed the telephone in its cradle.

As he took her into his arms, she glanced
up at him. “Everything okay?” Her damp hair hung loosely around her shoulders,
free of tangles and cool against his skin.

“Perfect.” More than perfect, or at least
he hoped the night would turn out the way he planned.

Only time would tell.

Chapter Six

Kayla knew it was too good to be true.
Hector marched along her bathroom countertop and he wasn’t happy. His wings
were tucked close to his body. He had his pine needle staff, clinking it
against the glass jar holding cotton balls and Q-tips before he moved on,
pacing with heavy footsteps.

“Don’t you dare flake out now,” he
grumbled. “Not after all I’ve done.”

“You’ve done?” She stopped applying mascara
and glanced down at him. “All you have done is cause trouble.”

“You didn’t think that way when you were
screaming, ‘More. I want more’.”

How embarrassing.
“You were watching?” Heat flared across her cheeks. “You lousy
little peeping Tom.” When her fingers curled into fists, he had the good sense
to back away.

“
Tsk, tsk.
Name calling doesn’t
become you. Besides I didn’t have to be in the room. I’m in your mind. And at
this very moment you’re thinking of calling the prosecutor with an excuse as to
why you can’t go tonight.”

Dammit. It was true.

After they had eaten, both of them had
fallen asleep. It had felt like the most normal thing in the world to wake in
his arms, roll over and make love, but it wasn’t love—it was sex.

Kayla had to get that through her thick
skull.

Yet what frightened her the most, scared
the living shit out of her, was this electrifying attraction to him. It was
overwhelming. And for once she didn’t know what to do. Never had she let
someone get so close, so far beneath her skin, that if she didn’t know better
she’d say her heart was engaged.

Now she stood before the mirror trying to
figure out how she could get through the night without falling head over heels
for the man. Because falling was exactly what she was doing. The only thing
that made sense was making a break now, while Barry wasn’t there to convince
her otherwise. Of course the irritating little man scowling at her wasn’t any
help. Maybe she could trap Hector beneath the lid of her compact.

“Don’t even think about it,” he growled. “I
have a wand and I’m not afraid to Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo your ass into oblivion.”
Hector sighed as if trying to regain his control. “Perhaps we should take a
look at what you currently have.
Uhm.
” He paused, patting his index
finger against a cheek, and then he abruptly stopped. “That’s right. You have
nothing. No husband. No family. No children.”

Damn him. Damn him straight to hell. She
didn’t need the reminder of her inadequacies. And who was he to judge her? Look
at what she’d achieved. The youngest female at the firm, the highest win rate,
and sure to make partner within a couple of years. Even still tears bloomed,
but Kayla held them back through sheer anger rising inside her.

“I have a career,” she barked defensively.

“A career that keeps you working all hours
of the day and weekend, leaving no time for a relationship.”

“I don’t need a relationship,” she snapped.
Kayla didn’t want some man who would leave her like her parents, her aunt, and
the few failed relationships she’d had. “I don’t need anyone.”

Except it had felt so good to have Barry
concerned about her. “You sure could have fooled me with, what? Having sex
three times in one day. Let’s see, there was up against the wall, that
impressive bedroom scene, and who could forget the shower?”

Not her. Kayla would never forget any one
of those wonderful moments, especially the bedroom and shower.
Four!
she
thought, recalling the tender way he took her after waking her with his dreamy
kisses.

But who was counting?

“Yes.” He swung his staff, nearly striking
a hundred-and-fifty-dollar bottle of perfume. “It
was
four. Sounds like
an awful horny woman, or maybe a lonely one.”

“Okay, shorty. That was hitting below the
belt.” Because she was lonely, so lonely that at times she couldn’t remember
what it felt like to really hold someone, feel skin to skin, heartbeat to heartbeat.
So if she was a little eager between the sheets, who could blame her?

He shrugged and took a seat, dangling his
legs off the edge of the counter. “A faery does what a faery must.”

“Is that a faery creed of some kind?”

“Kayla, what would it hurt to go and have a
good time? It’s Christmas Eve, and like you said, ‘It could be a gift to
yourself.’ Too soon it will be morning and the magic of this holiday will be
spent. You’ll return to your boring life and your normal, charming self.”

“Was that supposed to be a joke?” Sarcasm
rang through her words.

A grin twinkled in his eyes. “I’ll make you
a deal. If you go tonight and attempt to have a good time, I’ll leave you
alone. Maybe even disappear from your life for good.”

“
Ohhhh…
That’s too tempting a deal
to pass by.”

He popped up on his feet. “So you’ll wear
the red dress?”

“Hector, it’s too revealing. Too tight.” It
was so not her. Kayla would feel much better if she wore a suit, something she
felt comfortable in when around a crowd of people, most of whom she’d never met
before.

“It’s just your size and you know it.” He
looked as if he might sit down again, but stopped midway. “Of course I could
spend the remainder of the night by your side. Maybe we could sing Christmas
carols.”

For the love of God, no.

“Okay, okay. I’ll wear the darn dress.”

He stretched to his full height, looking
pretty proud of himself. “And the pearls.”

Kayla couldn’t help the smile that slipped
across her face. She’d never look at a strand of pearls the same way. “Yes. The
pearls too.”

Would Barry feel the same?

“Good.” Hector sprang into the air, his
wings fluttering. “Let’s get started.” He swarmed around her head. “How are you
going to wear your hair? Up, I think. That way you can wear me as a hairpin.”

“
Hectorrrrr…
” Kayla stretched out
his name in warning. “You are not going tonight.”

* * * * *

Barry knocked on Kayla’s front door, half
expecting her not to answer. As they’d parted at O’Malley’s, he’d thought he’d
heard something strange in her voice, seen a shift in her demeanor. If he
didn’t know better, he would say she was pulling away. Tugging restlessly on
the neck of his sweater, he pressed the doorbell.

“Come in,” she yelled.

Letting himself in, he noted her apartment
was larger than most of the apartments he’d been in around this area. From
where he stood in the entryway he could see her library, or maybe it was her
office on one side. Wall-to-floor shelves lined three walls, and the fourth had
an exquisite oak desk and a chair that looked almost like a throne. Everything on
the top of the polished wood was neat and orderly, much the way how he assumed
she lived her life.

On the other side was a living room that
flowed into the dining room. The furniture was simple, but by no means
inexpensive. It added an unassuming elegance to the home. Barry was studying
her entertainment center, discovering she liked jazz when he heard the click of
her heels on the marble. Casually, he turned. His breath caught.

He had never seen a more arresting woman.

The off-the-shoulder red dress caressed her
body as if it were a second skin. It wasn’t too short or too long, revealing
just enough of her lengthy legs to make a man want to follow them all the way
up. The spiked heels she wore put her at eye level but he didn’t care. The
shiny shoes enhanced the shape of her calves and they were sexy as hell. As his
hungry gaze roamed higher, he paused at the plunge of the bodice. There again,
it was barely low enough to tease and tantalize, an enticement to keep a man
interested all night long. Then he noticed her hair swept up in a waterfall of
curls that emphasized her slender, luxurious neck—a neck he knew every inch of.

“Pearls.” He grinned. “Just the right
touch.” From the steamy look in her eyes, she must have been recalling the same
memory of their little adventure this afternoon. “You are stunning.”

“Thank you. You clean up pretty good
yourself.” A white fox stole was draped over her bent arm. A small clutch purse
dangled at her wrist. Running a palm down the front of her gown, she appeared
uneasy. “Do you think this dress is appropriate? I mean— I have a nice suit I
can wear.”

“Don’t you dare change.” He very much
enjoyed how she looked. His cock twitched in agreement. “You’re driving me
crazy in that dress. I can’t wait to peel it off you, discover whether you’re
wearing panties or a thong.”

“But your parents?”

“You’ll turn my father’s head and Mom will
love the pearls.” He closed the distance between them. “You don’t have a thing
to worry about, especially with my parents. They’ll love you.” Her skin was
silky smooth beneath his palms as he ran them up her bare arms.