Page 96 of The Fixer

Warmth oozed from her heart and spread outward. “Oh,” was all she could manage.

He lay back, gathering her to him, and his body relaxed on an extended sigh. For long moments, she listened to the solid thumping of his heart beneath her hand, watching his face slacken as sleep overtook him and his breathing evened out. The peaceful sounds settled in her bones and wrapped her up as snuggly as his warm body beside hers.

As she drifted off, her sluggish mind told her this was all too soon, that it couldn’t become more than two people taking advantage of a physical connection. But oh, how she wanted to capture the sensations and bottle them. When had she ever felt this kind of contentment? This was heaven, right here, in this bed, next to this man who had come back to claim her tonight. Unbridled fire and passion tempered with a sweetness she could never have known co-existed inside him—inside anyone.

Life had just become immeasurably more complicated than it had been when she’d arrived in Fall River. A foreboding came over her, tamping down her bliss. Leaving this behind when she returned to Chicago was going to hurt like hell.

Chapter 27

Upper Hand

The sun streamed throughthe kitchen window—or the space that had once been the kitchen and would one day return to its original purpose. Joy hummed, a little smile forming as she measured out the freshly ground beans and placed them in the coffee filter belonging to thecoffeemakerCharlie had bought for her. The machine sat on the kitchen table, which now doubled as a counter.

Leaving his side had been tough, pulling herself away from that musculature that made her mouth water just thinking about it. But a part of her wanted to take care of him the way he had taken care of her. If she could do that by the simple act of brewing up a pot of caffeine, why wouldn’t she? After their workout from a few hours ago, he would need it when he finally woke up. And breakfast. She wasn’t a cook, but he liked eggs. How hard could they be to fix on her hot plate? Did she have any in thefridge?

Her finger was poised to hit the brew button when a wall of heat closed in on her back. A strong arm cinched around her waist, pulling her against hard angles.

“Why did you leave?” Charlie’s sleepy voice murmured next to her ear.

“I wanted to make you coffee.” She hit the button and melted against him, and he locked her in place. She couldn’t move even if she wanted to … and she didn’t want to.

With his free hand, he nudged her silk robe off her shoulder. Then his mouth was on her skin, laying out little licks, working across the bony point of her shoulder to the juncture between it and her neck. She braced her palms against the table’s edge.

“Don’t want coffee,” he mumbled against her skin.

She tilted her head to the side, giving him better access. Tingles sped through her bloodstream, and she sank deeper against him, trusting him to hold her up. His hard shaft pressed into her backside. She reached around behind her and groped for it. He was stark naked.

“Then what do you want?” she managed to push out in a not-so-sexy rasp as she closed around his rock-hard length. So that’s why they called it morning wood.

The hand that had bared her shoulder skimmed down her side to her waist and tugged at her tie. The silk bow slipped easily, and his fingers loosened it the rest of the way.

“This.” His voice was a harsh whisper, setting her sensitized nerves on fire. He slid the robe from her body, baring her to the chill. Immediately, his hands swept up to fondle her breasts, turning her pebbled peaks harder still. He thrust into her hand, prodding her behind, so hard and so ready.

While his hands fondled her breasts, his mouth ravaged her neck, her ears, her jaw. She closed her eyes so she could feelallof it, all of him, not bothering to hold back the moans rising in her throat.

He turned her to face him, and she released him. Her butt rested against the table. Taking a half step back, his hands steady on her hips, he moved his gaze over her, taking her in, as if he was mapping every inch of her. His gray-green eyes turned smoky with lust and heat. “Fuck, you’re gorgeous.”

Stepping into him, she wrapped her fingers around him again and tightened her grip, her thumb circling his crown. “You’re pretty gorgeous yourself.”

His lips curved into that cocky grin of his, and he moved her hand away, planting it behind her on the tabletop. “Nuh-uh. You’re not going to distract me.” He repeated the motion with her other hand so her back arched and her breasts stuck out.

“Stay like that.” His voice carried a warning. He dropped his gaze to her chest. “Oh yeah. I like that.”

He took his time perusing, and tremors moved through her, making her body tremble with excitement. Finally, he dipped his head and sucked her into his hot mouth, his tongue and teeth toying with her nipple while his hand played on the other side. As he alternated back and forth, he dropped his other hand between her thighs, caressing the soft, sensitive skin there as his fingers danced upward, nudging her legs apart. She was already breathing heavily when they reached their target and sank inside her. His thumb circled with a deft touch. She gasped.

One arm went around her waist, and he pulled away, exposing her wet peaks to the cold. He watched her through half-lidded eyes while his fingers and thumb worked their magic. In and out, in and out. He seemed to know just where and how to touch her, at times lightly and other times ruthlessly. Like the friction he inflicted, the intensity in his eyes was too much, but she couldn’t look away. The table creaked beneath her.

“Come for me, Joy,” he demanded. “Let go, baby. I’ve got you.”

As if he’d yanked on a cord, she unraveled while he watched, transfixed. Fingers still buried inside her, his mouth descended on hers and stole her cries. He eased up as he rode out her orgasm with her, their chests rising and falling together.

“God, watching you come … such a beautiful sight,” he murmured gruffly. Sliding his fingers from her, he pulled her against him, kissing a tender trail along the line of her neck.

No sooner had she caught her breath than he twisted her like she was made of rags, his chest to her back, and bent her over the table.

“Spread your legs, princess. I want more than just my fingers inside you.”

“Mmm, yes.”

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