Page 90 of Down & Dirty

Considering how possessive Cory had been around his friend, I was looking forward to the game even more. It wasn’t every day a man got all puffed up to claim me as his, and even as a modern woman who didn’t need any man, it had been fun to see him get jealous.

When we walked into the warm house, Jacob was reclined in his chair by the fire, aNational Geographicmagazine in his hands and a pair of reading glasses perched on his nose.

“Picked a good game to catch,” he said as we kicked off our boots.

“Yeah, Portland held their own for a while.”

Jacob scoffed. “That team’s had more challenges than I can count.But it seems like they might be on the upswing. Finally.” He pulled his glasses off and gave me a grin. “Did you have fun?”

“I did. The seats were great and it’s been a long time since I’ve been to anything but a motocross race. It was a nice change.”

“I bet,” Jacob said, a little too enthusiastically.

Aside from what Cory had told me, I’d gathered that Jacob didn’t have any appreciation for Cory’s sport. And even though it wasn’t my place, I felt the urge to defend him. I didn’t know why they were so against his career, but I could see on Cory’s face that he’d caught the dig too, and I hated the defeat in his eyes.

“We’re going to head up,” Cory said on a sigh, his hand landing on the small of my back and guiding me toward the stairs. “Have a good night.”

Jacob picked up his magazine and reset his glasses. “Sleep tight.”

As soon as I crossed the threshold into Cory’s room, he tugged me by the wrist into his chest and closed the door. His lips were to my ear as he reached behind me to lock it, and a shiver went down my spine.

“If I don’t get my hands on you right this second, I’ll fucking explode.”

My body braced, every cell pulling taut at the rough timbre of his voice. But that tension turned liquid as his lips met my skin and deep aching desire pulled me under. His hands roved greedily over my body, skimming the velvet of my dress like he’d been holding himself back all night and was finally set free.

I gasped when he took rough handfuls of my breasts, tweaking my nipples between his fingers as his teeth sunk into my neck.

“This fucking dress,” he grit out, smacking my ass like I’d offended him by wearing it.

“You don’t...like it?” My airy question gusted from my lips in spurts, as I struggled to catch my breath.

Cory pulled back, his hands wrapped around my ribs as he dropped his forehead to mine. “I do. But I’d like it more crumpled in a ball on the floor next to the bed I’m fucking you on.”

His eyes were dark flames, and he licked his lips, as if he could see the vision he’d just conjured in his mind.

So could I.

“Turn around,” he whispered, his lips trailing through my hair as I did what he asked. “Hands on the door.”

I wouldn’t say I was the obedient type, but there was a promise in Cory’s voice that had me responding before I could think myself out of it. I flattened my palms on the wood, as his hands wrapped around my shoulders and he came up behind me. His body pressed into me, the heat radiating between us like a building inferno.

“Tell me you want this too, Sky.” His voice was a rough, ragged sound, his breath gusting over the shell of my ear as he said, “Tell me this isn’t just all in my head.”

My throat had gone thick, desire closing in around me. “It’s not.”

“You want me to touch you?” His fingers moved the hair from the back of my neck, the slow swipe followed by the graze of his lips.

“Yes.”

“You trust me?” The words scraped out and he froze, waiting for me to wave the green flag as if he needed more from me than just my returned affection. It made me feel precious. It made me feel safe.

“Yes.”

He leaned heavily into me, his breath leaving him in a rush. “Good.” Skimming his hands down my back again, like the feel of it was more than he could resist, he asked, “Were you trying to drive me insane? Wearing this tight little dress?”

“No,” I lied. I knew just how many favors this dress did for my figure. “I packed it in case there were cameras,” I finished in a rush, my heart starting to race. That part was true. I had no idea Maine was just for us until last night.

His lips were in my hair as he dragged in a long inhale. “I should have told you before that this trip wasn’t part of the act.” His lips dusted the shell of my ear before he sucked the skin over my pulse, licking the spot where it was hammering. “Does that surprise you?” he asked, and for the first time I heard doubt in his voice.

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