Page 91 of Give Me a Shot

“Immaculately clean, smelling of—” She sniffed the air. “Mmm…more cedarwood, leather, and…anise, I think.” She closed the distance between them and slid her hands up his chest. “Which I adore.” She snuggled into his neck and took a deep breath. He shivered.

“And of course, there’s that,” she said, gesturing behind her at the bed.

“That?” Mo asked softly. “The bed?”

She nodded, raising an eyebrow.

“That very sexy bed.”

“How…how can a bed be sexy?” Mo asked, looking bewildered.

She leaned back a little to look up at him.

“Maybe because I know it’s your bed,” she murmured.

His Adam’s apple bobbed. She stepped back, undoing her jeans and wiggling out of them. She slid up the foot of the bed, looking Mo straight in the eye and licking her bottom lip. She could tell his breathing was a little fast.

“It’s big,” she said softly. “And sturdy-looking. Strong.” She ran a hand down one of the black walnut posts at the foot. “Looks like it can handle anything. Like its owner.” Winking, she crooked a finger at him again.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Mo

Mo’s heart clenched in the most exciting way. He’d begun the process of emotionally resetting after the photoshoot by focusing on the calm he always gained from cleaning up the smithy. Once he’d gotten his hands clean and checked his phone, her message had made him blush as he laughed out loud. And now that she’d come to his house, was in hisroom,andon his bedlooking at him like that…he couldn’t get out of his jeans fast enough. Jess laughed and slid up higher as he scrambled up to join her, laughing, too. She wrapped her legs around him as he settled between them and propped himself up with his forearms on either side of her head. Her delicious vanilla fragrance rose around him like a welcoming cloud. He started to compliment her about it, but he didn’t want to invite any sadness the connection to Cassie might provoke. Instead, he returned to what she’d just said.

“I don’t know if my bed can handle anything,” he said, nuzzling her neck.

“Come on, Hephaestus,” she whispered. “Let’s find out.”

He began to chuckle as he pulled back to look her in the eye, but she cut him off by catching his mouth with hers. He kissed her back, deepening the kiss, shuddering at the sparks that rained down on his skin as she dragged her nails down his shoulders. She moaned, and her kisses became more desperate as he massaged her scalp with his fingertips. She pulled her legs tight, trying tobring him closer. A flash of worry cropped up, forcing him to break the kiss.

“I don’t want to crush you,” he breathed. She was warm and soft and inviting underneath him, but he needed to be careful.

“Haven’t we discussed this?” she panted, eyes dark, cheeks flushed. “I want you to crush me.”

Watching her carefully for any discomfort, he slid an arm forward to let a little of his weight down. Her head fell to the side, and she groaned with her eyes closed. The worry slammed back into his chest until she slanted a glance at him through her eyelashes and nipped at his biceps, then licked the spot. Shock stole his breath and froze his every muscle for a moment, then he let himself fall into wanting her, plunging into the side of her neck, kissing, scratching with his beard, sucking, biting. She moaned deep, tightening her legs, grinding against him and forcing a moan out of him. He needed to taste every inch of her skin. He pulled back to work his way down her chest, to the rise of one of her breasts. He glanced up at her to check that it was okay, her open-mouthed nod freeing him to pull the cup of her bra down and graze her with his beard. She shuddered. He alternated licking around her hardened nipple with beard strokes, his heartbeat pounding in his ears. He freed the other breast and did the same, letting his eyes close as he drowned in the comforting fragrance of vanilla and her. She let out a breathy chuckle.

“You’re teasing me.” She sighed.

“Am I?” he breathed back, stroking again, opening his eyes to wink at her.

She looked down at him.

“Mo,” she said, her voice deeper, sultry. “I want you to take my nipple into your mouth now.”

He obeyed, sucking hard. He pushed his own arousal to the side so he could watch her reactions out of the corner of his eye. She groaned, her head tilting back. Lacing her fingers into his hair, her legs fell slack as he flicked her nipple back and forth inside his mouth and slid two fingers along her panties. Her hips snapped up.

“Yes, Mo,” she gasped. “Please.”

Getting up onto his knees in a flash, he pulled the waist of her panties along with him. He jerked them off her feet, and before she could bring her legs down, he yanked her thighs over his shoulders and bent his head to taste her.

A slight whisper of concern passed through his mind, that he was trying something ridiculous, that trying to please her in that way, in such a position—her shoulders resting on the bed, her back supported by his thighs—was maybe too ambitious. His want, his bone-rendingneedof her was too great to listen to the critical voice that often arose from his innate HSP “pause to check” response to novel situations. Right then, all he wanted to concern himself with was observing Jess’s reactions so that he could drive her out of her mind.

Her eyes darted back and forth, the shock of finding herself in that position leaving her mouth agape. She pulled in a sharp breath, focusing her gaze on his for a brief second until he caressed her with his tongue, making her eyes roll back. He did it again, faster, pressing harder, binding his forearm tight around her stomach as she shuddered and squirmed. He sped up, kissing, stroking, sucking.

“Oh, God, Mo,” she shuddered, her thighs tightening, bringing her closer to his lips. She grabbed onto his comforter with one hand, the other scratching down his thigh. His heart racing, he narrowed his eyes, focusing on hers as he angled his head to the side and began gently sucking her clit.

“Mo…,” she panted, writhing. Her face was flushed, the skin on her chest and neck turning a deep pink, as her pants morphed into high-pitched sighs. He held her tightly against him, increasing the intensity as his heart tried to race out of his chest.

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