These scenes written by Marie weren’t included in the final version of Longing for Love. They were a little too steamy for publication. Enjoy Blaine and Tiffany uncensored.

 

After Patty scooted out the front door, Tiffany took a calming breath and turned to Blaine. “What brings you in here?”

Silk spilled through his fingers as he examined a floral robe. Why was it that everything this guy did screamed sex? Or maybe that was the effect he had on her. She could only hope he didn’t have the same overwhelming effect on every woman he encountered.

Since he wasn’t working until later, he wore brown leather flip-flops and cargo shorts with a white T-shirt that offset his deep tan. It was official: he was equally sexy out of uniform.

“I was curious.” He gave each item of clothing he looked at the same undivided attention he’d given her the night before. “And, if I’m not too late, I’d love to be your first customer.”

“Unfortunately, you’re not too late.”

His eyes took a long perusing journey from her face to her breasts where he lingered. “Business will pick up.”

Her nipples tightened, and she turned away from him. “I hope you’re right.” She refolded a stack of camisoles, just to have something to do with her hands. “Is there something in particular I can show you?” she asked, glancing at him.

His grin was nothing short of predatory.

“Anything in the store, that is.”

“I have this friend,” he said. “About your height and size. I’d like to get something for her. Something special.”

Playing along, Tiffany said, “Is she a new friend or an old friend?”

“Newish.”

“So you don’t want anything too racy.”

“On the contrary. The racier the better.”

Is it hot in here or is it me? Tiffany sifted through the racks until she found the lacy black bustier with matching thong panties that were among her favorite items in the store. Pink satin ribbons ran through the ensemble, which was sheer in all the most important places. “I’m somewhat partial to this myself, but your friend may have different taste.”

Blaine took it from her and studied it from every angle, running his fingers over the tiny scrap of fabric that made up the thong. “She’d love it. I’ll take it.”

“Shall I gift wrap it for you?” she asked, flashing a coy grin over her shoulder as she headed for the register to ring up her first sale.

“That’d be nice. Thank you.”

His reply threw her off stride. Tiffany began to wonder if she understood the rules of this game they were playing. Did he have someone else? Would he really come to her store to buy something for another woman? When it came right down to it, she knew nothing about him other than what he did for a living, he was a good friend of her brother-in-law’s, and he was a god in bed. Beyond that, he could be just another sleaze for all she knew.

She tugged a sheet of tissue paper from the shelf behind the register, snipped the price tag from the bustier, wrapped it in the pink paper and sealed the package with a gold N&N sticker before slipping it into one of the red-and-white-striped gift bags she’d designed herself.

His warm hands captured hers, startling her and stopping movements that had become jerky as she pondered the possibilities.

“There’s no one else, Tiff, so stop wondering if I’m screwing with you in more ways than one.”

Startled by how accurately he’d zeroed in on her thoughts, she pulled her hands free. “I wondered no such thing.”

Laughing in that gravelly, sexy way he did so well, he said, “If you say so.” He nodded to the beaded curtain that separated the main area of the store from a smaller second room. “What’s in there?”

Tiffany swallowed. “Other stuff.”

“Ahh, the good stuff. Help me out, will you? I may have some questions. In fact, I’m sure I will.”

Was he serious? Apparently so, since he stepped through the beads into the more intimate area of the store.

“Well, well, well. What have we here?”

Tiffany’s entire body felt like it was on fire as she followed him through the beaded curtain. Surely he didn’t mean to quiz her on the various items she’d stocked there, did he?

He picked up a multipurpose vibrator and examined it from every angle. Turning to her, he raised an eyebrow. “What’s this one’s claim to fame?”

Tiffany didn’t know what to do with her hands, so she crossed her fingers and squeezed. A riot of emotions and desires cascaded through her, tying her tongue into knots. “Um, the usual stuff. It, ah, vibrates and rotates.”

“Rotates, too, huh? That’s clever.”

She would’ve killed him for putting her through this torturous exercise except for the pesky fact that he was chief of police.

“What’s this little doohickey do?” He pointed to the vibrator’s smaller arm.

“That’s for the, um, back door.”

Blaine’s eyes widened with understanding. “You don’t say.” To Tiffany’s enormous relief, he put the toy down and moved farther into the room to study the wide array of dildos, lubricants, vibrators, handcuffs, massage oils and other sensuous delights.

He zeroed in on the display of butt plugs the vendor had talked her into stocking against her better judgment.

“Speaking of the back door,” Blaine muttered. “What’s the difference between these two?” One was shorter and fatter, the other long and thin.

Tiffany wanted to expire on the spot. She’d never been more embarrassed or more aroused. The sound of his voice alone was enough to turn her on, but watching his long fingers touching and caressing the toys on the shelf had her soaked with desire and fighting the urge to drag him to the floor to have her way with him.

Determined to answer at least one of his questions without stammering, Tiffany said, “One is for stretching, the other for stimulating.”

He scratched at the stubble on his chin. “Isn’t that interesting? I didn’t realize there were two different kinds.” Turning to her, he studied her with those eyes that seemed to have only one setting: intense. “Which do you recommend? Stretching or stimulating?”

“Oh, well, that’s an individual preference.”

He curled a lock of her hair around his finger, brought it to his nose and inhaled. “What’s your individual preference, Tiffany?”

“I, um, well…”

“Have you ever played with any of these toys?”

A flush of heat traveled from her face to her breasts to between her legs. “Of course I have. How else could I sell them?”

“Which ones?” He gestured to the shelves of goodies.

“I don’t recall,” she said haughtily. How was it possible that her very first customer was discovering her deepest, darkest secret? After all the hours she’d spent studying the manuals that came with each and every item, that she could be found out so easily was unnerving, to say the least.

Blaine stepped even closer to her so his face was an inch from hers. He was so close she could smell his cologne and feel the heat of his breath on her face. “Are you a sex toy fraud, Tiff?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I answered all your questions.” She turned, intending to return to the main room, but his hand on her arm stopped her.

“Which one do you find most intriguing?”

She couldn’t possibly say all of them, could she? Jim would’ve died before he would’ve allowed any of the items in this room into their bedroom.

“I can see I’ve put you on the spot,” Blaine said. After pondering the selection for another long moment during which Tiffany barely drew a breath, he reached for a set of velvet-lined handcuffs, a bottle of lube that heated on contact, massage oil, the first vibrator he’d picked up (with the special back-door attachment) and the shorter and fatter of the two butt plugs. “That ought to get us started.”

Tiffany stared at him. “Get who started?”

“You, me, us. You can’t sell this stuff if you’ve never used it.”

“Says who?”

“Says me.” He brushed by her on his way back to the main room, stopping to speak close to her ear. “Don’t try to tell me you’re not curious. I know you are.”

“I don’t want all that,” she said, eyeing the butt plug with trepidation. She would’ve chosen stimulation over stretching any day.

“How do you know you don’t want them until you’ve tried them?”

“Besides, that stuff is expensive. Did you even bother to look at the price tags?”

“You can’t put a price on pleasure, honey. Whatever it costs, it’s worth every penny.”

“And does this experimentation you’re suggesting work both ways?”

His brows narrowed. “Does what work both ways?”

“If you get to do this stuff to me, I get to do it to you, too.” The very thought of what they were discussing had her teetering on the verge of an explosive release. Every nerve ending in her body was on fire, like it had been the night before, and he’d barely touched her. Words, she realized, could be a powerful aphrodisiac.

“We’ll negotiate terms during playtime,” he said with a suggestive grin as he dropped the items he’d chosen on the counter.

Three hundred twenty-five dollars later, Blaine returned his credit card to his wallet.

Tiffany placed the large red-and-white bag on the counter. Not a bad first sale. “Thank you,” she said, embarrassed he’d spent so much money.

“My pleasure—and yours. Will your daughter be home tonight?”

Tiffany shook her head. “She’s with her father until tomorrow.”

He pushed the bag toward her. “I get out of work at eleven. I’ll be at your house by eleven thirty. Leave the front door unlocked. Put the black outfit on and lie on the bed at eleven fifteen with your legs as far apart as you can get them. Make sure the ceiling fan is set to high.”

A shiver of raw desire traveled through Tiffany at the power behind his softly spoken words. It had never occurred to her that being dominated, even lightly dominated, could be such a turn-on.

“Put the other things in the bag on the bedside table so I can reach them. Do you understand?”

Tiffany had lost the ability to breathe, let alone speak, so she nodded.

He leaned over the counter as if he were going to kiss her. “One more thing. You’ll need to decide on a safe word.”

“Safe word?” Tiffany squeaked.

“A word we’ll use if either of us wants to stop whatever we’re doing.”

“Oh, right,” she said, swallowing frantically. “A safe word.”

“Whatever you want it to be.” This time when he leaned in close, he kissed her long and hard and deep.

Tiffany’s legs buckled, and she gripped the counter, something she’d done more often since she met him than she had in her entire life before him.

His fingers sank into her hair, and he tilted his head to get a better angle on the kiss. Sweeping strokes of his tongue had her forgetting where they were and that anyone could walk in and catch them. Oh, who was she kidding? No one was going to walk in except for maybe Patty.

That thought had Tiffany reluctantly withdrawing from the kiss.

Blaine reached for her hand and came around to her side of the counter. “That wasn’t enough, and eleven thirty is a long time from now,” he said, his voice husky and deep.

Tiffany reached up to comb her fingers through his hair and brought him down for another passionate kiss.

His hands slid down her back to cup her bottom. And then he lifted her and started walking toward the back room. Propping her against the wall, he arranged her legs so they were splayed open, propped on his thighs. Taking the hem of her dress with him, his hands traveled up her legs until her skirt was bunched at her waist.

“What’s this?” he asked, running his fingers over her panties. “White cotton? On the town’s new lingerie queen?”

“Sometimes white cotton is comfortable,” she managed to say.

“It’s better to absorb dampness,” he said agreeably, “especially a great flood of dampness.”

Moaning, Tiffany tilted her hips, begging for more.

Keeping her panties between them, he worked his fingers back and forth, giving fleeting glances to her most sensitive spot. “Do you want to come, Tiff?”

“Yes, yes!”

“Are you sore today?” he asked, gentling his touch.

“A little.”

“I’m sorry for that,” he whispered, his tongue skimming her neck and sending a shiver of goose bumps dancing over her fevered skin. “I never want to hurt you.”

She tightened the grip she had on his hair and jerked his mouth to hers for a fierce battle of tongues and teeth and lips.

His finger slipped beneath the elastic and into her slickness. He must’ve sensed her urgency because he focused all his attention on the tight nub, circling and pressing until she came with a keening wail that he smothered with another deep kiss.

“I love watching you come,” he whispered, capturing her bottom lip between his teeth and rolling it back and forth. “It’s the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.”

Mortified to imagine what she must look like at the moment of liftoff, she turned her focus on him. “What about you?” she asked as he let her slide down the aroused front of him until her feet were on the floor. She started to press a hand to the bulge in his shorts, but he stopped her.

“Let’s save it for later.” He kissed her forehead, nose and lips. “You might want to take a little nap when you get home. We’ll be up late. Again.” After another passionate kiss, he left her leaning against the wall, trying to recapture her equilibrium. If all her customers were even half as interesting as her first one, owning this shop was going to be one hell of a wild ride.

After the ringing bells on the door announced his departure, Tiffany ran her fingers through her hair, straightened her dress and went into the tiny pink restroom to freshen up. Staring at her reflection in the mirror, she thought about the instructions he’d given her. While part of her couldn’t wait to see him again, the other part—the part that still retained a shred of sanity—was filled with trepidation about what he had planned for her.

 

 

Wearing the black sheer bustier that barely covered the tips of her nipples, Tiffany lay on the bed with her legs spread wide. Her thighs trembled from anticipation and the effect the swirling air from above was having on her exposed flesh. On the verge of her first-ever ceiling-fan-induced orgasm, Tiffany squirmed against the tug of the thong, trying to exert more pressure where she needed it most without involving her hands. She wondered how much longer he planned to make her wait. If his goal was to get her hot and ready for whatever he had in mind, she’d arrived at that destination ten minutes ago. Hell, who was she kidding? She’d been hot and ready from the second she’d woken up to his kiss.

The apple-scented candles she’d lit flickered, and the light breeze filtering in through the open windows only added to her heightened sense of awareness. Her body hummed with tension and desire as she waited for him.

Jim hadn’t appreciated sexy underwear and negligees. “It’s going to end up on the floor anyway,” he would say, “so what’s the point?” The point, she was finding, as the bustier abraded her aroused nipples, was more about the way it made her feel: sexy, desirable, wanted. Whatever it did for her partner was secondary.

Her partner appeared at the door and took in the scene before him. At the sight of him in the candlelight, her breath caught in her throat. He was, by far, the sexiest man she’d ever known, and the naked desire on his face, desire for her, nearly took her over the precipice she’d been clinging to.

Unbuttoning his uniform shirt, he crossed the room to her.

The trembling in Tiffany’s legs intensified as he took his gaze on a lazy journey from the straining nipples he could probably see through the sheer fabric to her quivering belly and smoldering center.

He shrugged the shirt from his shoulders, and Tiffany licked her lips at the sight of his muscular chest.

“Are you wet?” he asked gruffly.

“Yes.”

“How wet?”

“Very.”

He stood by the side of the bed looking down at her, the huge bulge in his pants the only indication that he was equally aroused. “You’d better check, just to be sure.”

Mortified by the idea of touching herself while he watched, she hesitated.

“Do it.”

Now her hand was trembling, too, as she skimmed her fingertips over her belly and under the waistband of the thong. Her fingers slid through the slippery dampness between her legs.

“Stroke yourself. I want to watch you come.”

One part of her was shocked by his frank talk. The other part was hugely turned on. “I can’t. Not with you watching.”

“Yes, you can.”

Tiffany closed her eyes and tried to forget he was there, watching her. Under the satiny thong, she moved her fingers back and forth over the tight, tingling bud.

“Push your fingers inside,” he said, his breathing sounding choppy.

Tiffany bit her lip and did as he requested.

“Farther. Mmm, that’s it. Use your other hand on your breast. Roll the nipple between your fingers.” He paused, waiting for her to follow his instructions. “Now look at me.”

Tiffany did as he directed and imploded, the climax streaking through her like lightning, leaving her quivering with the need for more.

 

She opened her eyes to find him still standing next to the bed, but he’d removed his pants and was stroking his straining erection. Tiffany held out her arms to him and sighed with satisfaction when his body covered hers. For the longest time, he lay there without moving, holding her close to him, infusing her with his heat and an odd sense of comfort.

“That was the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen,” he said gruffly.

“Was it?”

“Mmm. Do you like it when I tell you what to do?”

“I shouldn’t, but it makes me feel all…”

“What?”

“Hot. Insanely hot.”

“You are insanely hot, and there’s nothing wrong with enjoying a little domination in bed. It doesn’t make you any less of an independent woman in the rest of your life.”

“I’m glad to hear you say that.” She ran her fingers through his hair. “What do you want me to do next?”

Blaine smiled at the coy look she gave him and reached for the cuffs on the bedside table. Dangling them above her, he said, “Raise your arms over your head.”

Before she did what he asked, she ran her hands over his smooth back and down to cup his firm rear end, drawing a gasp from him. Then she slowly raised her arms over her head, which lowered the top of the bustier.

Blaine’s eyes were fixed on her breasts, watching intently as they broke free of the tight confines of the garment. Bending his head to ravish each nipple, he seemed to have forgotten the cuffs.

Tiffany floated on a cloud of sensation so intense it took her breath away. Her entire focus was on the hot mouth tugging and sucking on her breast. Since he had her firmly pinned to the bed, she couldn’t move to satisfy the reawakened ache between her legs. The sweet torture seemed to go on forever, until she was certain she’d go mad. She tried to reach for him and found her hands locked to the headboard. When had he managed to do that, and how had she failed to notice?

Tiffany had never been so transported in the midst of lovemaking, and the realization was both unsettling and exciting at the same time. She tested the restraints and experienced a stab of fear at how tight they were.

“Hey,” he said, his voice penetrating the fog. “Look at me.”

Tiffany forced herself to focus on his handsome face.

“Are you okay with this?”

Even though she wasn’t quite sure, she nodded.

“Do you trust me?”

She wet her lips. “Yes.”

“I’ll never hurt you. Not in here or out there.” He nodded to the world outside their bedroom hideaway. “Believe me?”

“I want to.”

He bent his head to press a sweet, undemanding kiss to her lips. “You can believe me, Tiff.”

Her heart ached with longing. She had no illusions that this was anything more than a fling between two consenting adults. But his softly spoken words made her wish for more. So much more.

“Have you decided on a safe word?”

“Will I really need one?” The idea of it made her legs tremble.

He nodded.

She took a deep breath, knowing it was decision time. Either she put a stop to this now or jumped off the cliff into the unknown. Looking up at him, she found him focused on her, waiting patiently for her even as his erection pulsated against her belly. As she studied him, she realized that even though she didn’t know him very well, she trusted him. Every time they’d been together, he’d put her needs ahead of his own. He’d cared for her in ways she hadn’t often experienced.

“Naughty,” she said after a long pause.

He smiled. “I like it.” Resting his forehead on hers, he said, “I want you to use it. If you feel the slightest bit uncomfortable, say it, okay?”

She nodded. “What’s your safe word?”

His brows furrowed. “Will I need one?”

“You never know.”

“All right, then,” he said. “In that case… Nice.”

Tiffany laughed. “Somehow I think your idea of safe and mine are two very different things.”

His smile faded a bit. “I doubt that.”

“You’re safe with me, too, Blaine. I’d never hurt you either.”

“Thank you. You don’t know how much that means to me.” His lips left a trail of heat and dampness from her neck to her breasts. “Have you ever been cuffed before?”

She shook her head.

“Mmm.” His lips vibrated against her nipple. “Then I’d better make it memorable.” As he feasted on her breasts, he unhooked the bustier and tossed it aside, leaving her in just the skimpy thong. He kissed her everywhere, dipping his tongue into her belly button and nibbling on her hipbones. Tiffany was shocked by the sensations zinging through her as he discovered new erogenous zones. Every time she tugged at the cuffs, yearning to touch him, the bindings reminded her she was totally at his mercy.

The pang of fear that accompanied the discovery ratcheted up the desire to levels she’d never before experienced. She’d never truly understood the lure of the cuffs—until now.

Blaine removed her thong and urged her legs farther apart.

Tiffany felt like a total wanton, shackled to the bed and spread open for him.

He reached for the vibrator. Turning it on, he took it on the same sensuous journey his mouth had taken, over her breasts to her belly and below. Tiffany lifted her hips, begging him to focus on the place that needed his attention most.

After teasing her with fleeting passes, he pressed the vibrator to her clitoris at the same instant he pushed two fingers into her. The combination overwhelmed her as the climax hovered just out of her reach. Blaine slid his fingers in and out of her slickness several times before removing them.

Tiffany began to protest until she felt his fingers press against her bottom. Frozen in shock, she held her breath, waiting to see what he would do. While continuing to tease her with the vibrator, he pressed more insistently. No one had ever touched her there before, and Tiffany was almost ashamed of how much she liked it. Her safe word was on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it.

He pressed again, harder this time, and his finger slipped past the tight ring of muscle at her entrance just as the vibrator again made contact with her clit.

She came so suddenly that it caught her by surprise, taking her right out of the room to somewhere she’d never been before. When she returned to herself, her hands had been released and he was hovering over her, dropping soft kisses on her face and lips.

“Okay?” he asked.

Somehow, she managed to nod. And then he turned her over and ran his tongue along the ridges of her spine. He raised her to her knees and pressed his erection into her wetness.

Tiffany gasped from the burn of his large member stretching her.

He gripped her hips and worked his way in a little at a time until he was fully sheathed in her. After giving her a moment to adjust, he began to move.

“Touch yourself,” he growled in her ear as he kept up a relentless rhythm.

Somehow, Tiffany managed to reach down to where they were joined.

Blaine drove into her just as she touched herself, sending them both into an explosive climax that went on for what seemed like forever. Just when Tiffany thought it was over, he pressed into her again and started another wave.

By the time they collapsed into a pile on the bed, Tiffany was sweating and tingling from head to toe. Behind her, Blaine released a long deep breath. The air around them was heavy with the scent of apples, his sandalwood cologne and sex. He settled in close to her, slipping his arm around her to draw her tighter against him.

Tiffany sighed with contentment as Blaine’s lips moved softly from her shoulder to her neck.

“That was amazing,” he whispered, sending goose bumps dancing down her left side.

“Mmm.”

“What’d you think of the toy?”

“The screaming orgasm didn’t say it all?”

Blaine laughed and cupped her breast, rolling her nipple between his fingers.

“And the cuffs?”

“I liked them, too. In fact, I’m looking forward to returning the favor as soon as I can move again.”

“Is that so?”

“Mmm-hmm.”

They were quiet for a long time before he said, “I need to tell you something.”

Tiffany, who’d been on her way to a nice doze, was suddenly wide awake and on full alert. Did anything good ever come of those words? “What?”

“Turn over.”

Filled with apprehension, she turned to face him. “You’re not married, are you?” Tiffany couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought to ask that before now.

Startled, he stared at her. “Of course not.”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to insult you. I’ve gotten used to thinking the worst of people lately.”

“With good reason.” Blaine ran his fingers through her hair and then down her back. “I had a meeting with the mayor today.”

“That’s funny. His wife came into the shop.”

“She did?” He seemed shocked to hear that.

“Uh-huh.”

“What was she doing there?”

“I can’t talk about it. It’s very important that I maintain my customers’ privacy. What did the mayor want?”

“He’s concerned about the shop and the accident that occurred in front.”

Tiffany rolled her bottom lip between her teeth. “The town council approved my application.”

“The mayor is putting the matter on the council’s agenda for Monday.”

“What matter?”

“I’m not sure, exactly.”

“Why did he tell you this?”

“He wanted me to cite you for indecency.”

Tiffany tugged herself free of his embrace and sat up, gripping the sheet under her arms.

Blaine rested his hand on her leg and looked up at her. “I refused to do it.”

“You did?”

He nodded. “I told him I won’t harass you.”

“Didn’t that make him mad? With you?”

Blaine shrugged. “A little.”

When she realized he’d gone to bat for her, her insides got all soft and squishy. “I don’t want you jeopardizing your job for me.”

He tugged at the sheet playfully. “So I should’ve cited you?”

Despite this new worry, Tiffany forced a smile. “Was I breaking the law?”

“Not technically.”

“What does that mean? Not technically?”

“Come on, Tiff. You know how the people in this town can be. They’re not going to put up with a sexy woman prancing around in her underwear.”

“They’re not or you’re not?”

“Don’t twist my words. It creates a traffic hazard on the town’s main road. I won’t be able to ignore that forever.”

“How is it my fault that people aren’t paying attention to their driving?”

“I believe we’ve already had this argument,” he said yawning.

“And you still haven’t answered my question.”

“It’s a distraction. You’re a distraction. Any man in his right mind is going to take his eyes off the road to get a better look at you.”

“I supposed you expect me to be complimented by that.”

“You’re beautiful, Tiffany. You have to know that.”

Her heart skipped a crazy beat. “You really think so?”

Blaine reached for her and brought her back into his embrace. “Yeah, I really think so. But you might want to cut out the ‘advertising’ until after the council meeting.”

“You’re probably right,” she said. “But if I don’t advertise, how will anyone know what I’m selling in the store?”

“Oh, they’ll know, honey,” he said, laughing. “Believe me. They’ll know.”

 

She was on her way to sleep when the doorbell rang. Shaking off the slumber, she went downstairs, wondering if Maddie had forgotten something that Thomas couldn’t live without until the morning. She opened the door, and her mind went blank when she found Blaine looking sinfully sexy in a white button-down shirt and plaid shorts.

He held out a pizza box to her. “A peace offering.”

“Why do you need a peace offering?”

“I figured you’d be mad at me for changing the rules on you.”

She took his hand and led him inside, placing the pizza box on the coffee table. Turning to him, she put her arms around him and rested her face on his chest. “Thank you.”

His arms came around her, holding her snugly and perfectly. “Wow, I got off way easier than expected.”

“It’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.”

“That can’t possibly be true.”

“It is.” She let her hands wander under his shirt and reveled in the tremble that traveled through him when her hands found his back. “I want to pay you back, but I can’t right now.”

“It was a present, and doing it made me happy, so no more talk of paying me back, okay?”

“Do you really think about me all the time?”

“All the time.” This was said against her neck, where the brush of soft lips and rough whiskers made her shiver.

As they stood there wrapped up in each other for several minutes, Tiffany realized her sister was right. This was no longer the uncomplicated sex-only relationship she’d planned to have with him.

“Where’s Ashleigh?” he asked.

“Asleep.”

“Could I see her?”

“You’ve seen her before.”

“I know, but I bet she’s awfully cute when she’s asleep.”

“She is.”

“That’s what I want to see.”

His words went straight to her heart, making it flip-flop precariously. She took his hand and led him up the stairs. Outside Ashleigh’s room, she flipped on the hall light and opened the door. Her little girl’s dark hair formed a swirl on the white pillowcase, and her lips were pursed into an adorable, kissable bow.

“So pretty,” Blaine whispered. “She looks just like her mama.”

“I’ve heard that a time or two.” Tiffany rearranged the covers that Ashleigh had already kicked off, kissed her daughter’s cheek and followed Blaine from the room.

“Thank you for that,” he said.

“You’re welcome.”

“I’d like to get to know her. If that’s okay with you.”

“That depends.”

“On?”

“What exactly this is that we’re doing here.”

“What do you think we’re doing?” As he spoke, he stepped closer to her and kept coming until he had her backed up against the wall. With his body—and his erection—pressed tight against her, he raised his arms over her head.

Tiffany swallowed hard, overwhelmed as always when close to him. “Until today, I thought we were hanging out, having sex, having fun.”

“What changed today?”

“I found out you think about me all the time.”

“You liked that, huh?”

Rolling her bottom lip between her teeth, she nodded.

“So what’re we doing now?”

She linked her fingers through the belt loops on his shorts and looked up to find him watching her intently. “The same thing we were doing, only now it seems to mean more than it did before. For some reason.”

He bent his head and rested it on her shoulder. “That’s a good answer.”

Tiffany reached up to run her fingers through his hair.

“Do you think about me once in a while?” he asked in that gruff, sexy voice she was growing to love.

“Pretty much all the time.”

He sighed deeply. “I should go.”

She hadn’t expected him to say that. “Why?”

“Because your daughter is here, and you didn’t want me to come over tonight, but I wanted to see you, so I came anyway.”

“It wasn’t that I didn’t want you to come over. I didn’t think you’d want to hang out with Ashleigh.”

“Now you know better.” He raised his head and stared into her eyes for the longest time.

Tiffany was about to grab him and drag his mouth down to hers when he saved her the trouble by tipping his head ever so slightly and kissing her so softly and so sweetly she almost forgot to breathe. He kept up the gentle assault, devastating her with his lips alone. When he raised his head, Tiffany moaned.

“Don’t stop,” she said, desperately. She could only imagine how wanton she sounded to him.

Apparently, he liked how she sounded, because he looked at her with barely restrained lust stamped all over his face. “It doesn’t feel right to be doing this when Ashleigh is here.”

“She’s asleep, and we won’t hear from her until bright and early in the morning.”

“You’re sure?”

She nodded.

With his lips hovering a fraction of an inch from hers, he said, “I want to do something kinky.”

Tiffany’s belly fluttered, and her pulse beat hard in her throat. “Isn’t everything we do kinky?”

The slow, sexy smile that unfolded across his handsome face was positively sinful. “Sweetheart, we’ve only scratched the surface of how kinky I want to get with you.”

She swallowed the lump of fear and emotion and overwhelming anticipation that lodged in her throat. “What do you want to do?”

“Trust me?”

Without hesitation, she said, “Yes.”

“Are you sure?”

She nodded.

He kissed her again and drew her away from the wall, walking her backward to her bedroom. “Get naked. I’ll be right back.”

“Where’re you going?”

“To get something out of my truck. I’ll be quick, so get ready.” He took her hand and pressed it against his erection. “I’m more than ready for you, babe.”

Tiffany wanted to tell him not to go. She wanted to tell him they already had everything they needed. But she was so painfully curious to know what he had in store for her that she let him go and went into her room. Her hands were shaky as she unbuttoned her blouse and took it off. She had to tug twice on the button to her shorts before it came free.

By the time she removed her clothes and turned down the bed, she was a bundle of nerves with all her pleasure points tingling in anticipation. She lit candles and experimented with several poses on the bed, before she settled on her side with her head propped on her upturned hand.

Blaine returned a minute later and stopped short to take a long, leisurely look at her.

Before him, she’d only been with Jim, so nothing in her experience had prepared her for a man who could turn her on just by looking at her in that particular way.

She wanted to tell him to hurry. She wanted to tell him she needed him. She wanted to beg him to make her feel the way that only he could. But she held her tongue and waited to see what he would do.

He closed the door and pressed the lock, the sound reverberating through the quiet room and making her shiver again in anticipation. “Will you be able to hear Ashleigh if she wakes up?”

Tiffany pointed to the monitor on the bedside table. “She hardly ever wakes up.”

“Good,” he said as he approached the bed.  “Close your eyes.”

Tiffany looked at him for a long, intense moment before she did as he directed. She felt something satiny slide over her eyes and opened them to total darkness. He’d blindfolded her.

“Remember your safe word?”

She nodded.

“Use it at any time. Okay?”

Because she couldn’t seem to form words, she nodded again. Her entire body vibrated with tension and desire unlike anything she’d ever experienced before, even with him. To not be able to see what he was doing to her, to not be able to move, to be totally and completely at his mercy. . .

“Tiffany?”

“Hmm?”

“Breathe.”

She hadn’t realized she wasn’t and sucked in a deep greedy breath.

“Okay?”

Nodding, she said, “I’m fine.”

He raised her arms over her head and snapped on the handcuffs. “Comfortable?”

Tiffany had to force herself to keep her muscles relaxed when every inch of her was on fire. “Ah, yeah, sure.”

Chuckling, he said, “I need a towel.”

She cleared her throat. “Bathroom. In the closet.”

“Don’t go anywhere.”

Even though she couldn’t leave if she wanted to, Tiffany wanted to laugh at the idea that there was anywhere she’d rather be than right here with him. With her other senses more acutely aware, she heard him go into the bathroom, open and close the cabinet, and return. When he dropped the towel on the bed next to her, the clean scent of fabric softener briefly overtook the vanilla scent of the candles.

She took a series of deep breaths, trying to calm herself.

“Are you still okay?”

“Yes.”

“You aren’t scared, are you?”

“Scared? No.”

His hand landed large and warm on her leg. “What, then?”

“Curious. Nervous. Aroused.”

“Anything else?”

She shook her head. “That’s about it for now.”

He caressed her leg. “Don’t be nervous.”

“Um, okay. Whatever you say.”

His soft laughter made her smile as he used both hands to move her legs apart. “Lift your bum.”

Tentatively, Tiffany did as he asked and felt the towel slide beneath her. Listening intently, she heard him undressing. He took his own sweet time about it! Her skin tingled, and her belly quivered with nerves and eagerness to see what he would do. Right when she thought she’d go mad trying to figure out what he had planned she felt his finger trace a path from her ankle to her knee. Then it was on her thigh, making her muscles quiver.

“Have you ever shaved?” he asked as he ran his finger lightly over her sex. “Here?”

Tiffany licked lips gone dry. “Bikini line. Does that count?”

“Ever shaved all of it?”

Her voice sounded squeaky when she said, “No.”

“I’ve heard,” he said, running his tongue over a painfully sensitive nipple, “that shaving makes everything feel a thousand times better for women.”

“Heard from whom?”

“People.”

“Female people?”

He surprised her when he kissed her lips. “You’re cute when you’re jealous.”

“I’m not jealous. Don’t flatter yourself.”

“Whatever you say.” His lips moved from her mouth to her neck to her breasts.

Tiffany squirmed, trying to get closer to him.

“Relax, honey. I promise you’ll get everything you need. And then some.”

“It’s that last part I’m worried about.”

“Are you? Really?”

Tiffany took a second to consider his question. “No. Not really.”

“You’d tell me if you were seriously worried or scared?”

“Yes.”

“Do you promise?”

“Yes,” she said, playfully exasperated even though she appreciated his concern.

He cupped her sex, his fingers pressing and teasing her. “So, what do you think about shaving?”

“Now?”

“Uh-huh.” His lips were soft and smooth on her belly.

She tugged on the cuffs, making them jangle. “How do you propose I shave anything when you’ve got me locked up like a prisoner?”

“I’d do it for you.”

“Oh.” Her dry throat tightened as images of him shaving her there ran through her mind, causing her sex to clench. Thank God she was blindfolded for this.

“Is that a yes?” He pressed harder until he encountered the rush of dampness between her legs. “Ohhh, it seems you approve of this plan.”

She laughed nervously and raised her hips, trying to encourage him to focus on where she needed him most.

He withdrew his hand. “Yes or no?”

“Yes! Just do it, will you?”

“I thought you’d never ask.” With a kiss to her belly, he got up from the bed.

Tiffany blew out a sharp breath and bit back the retort that hovered on the tip of her tongue. She could hear him moving around, making preparations. The water came on in the bathroom and then turned off. She felt the mattress dip when he returned.

“Why are your legs closed?”

Tiffany hadn’t realized she’d closed them.

With his hands on her legs, he gently pushed them apart, caressing the sensitive skin on her inner thighs. “You can’t move, okay?”

“Okay.”

He pressed a warm compress to the area he planned to shave. The next thing she heard was shaving cream leaving the can, which she realized he’d brought with him with this in mind. Knowing he’d put so much thought into this gave her racing mind even more to think about as her already sensitized skin reacted immediately to the cool menthol cream.

“Ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

With one hand on her thigh, he held her still as he dragged the razor from bottom to top. The sensation was so titillating and arousing, that she had to force herself to remain still. “Almost done.”

“What happens then?”

“I’ll show you how amazing it feels.”

“How will you do that?”

He wiped the area with the warm cloth.

She felt him shift on the bed.

“I’ll start with my tongue.”

 

Tiffany hadn’t expected it to feel all that different. However, the second his tongue connected with her freshly shaven skin, she nearly came undone. “Oh, wow,” she said, gasping from the riot of sensations that erupted from her core. “God.”

“I take it you approve?”

Moaning, she raised her hips, silently begging for more. When he didn’t immediately comply, a tortured-sounding “please” escaped from her lips.

Chuckling softly, he sucked and teased her into a series of orgasms that seemed to go on forever. When she returned from the dazzling journey, he was poised between her legs, his erection nudging at her tingling core.

“I want to see you,” she said. Her voice sounded rough and hoarse, as if she’d been screaming. Maybe she had been. She couldn’t say for sure. “And touch you.”

He removed the blindfold and then the cuffs.

Tiffany stretched her arms and then curled them around him, gazing up at him.

He stared down at her, intensely focused, which only made her want him more. She’d never been the subject of such intense focus, and it was a huge turn-on.

“Now, Blaine.” With her hands on his back and then his backside, she urged him to take her.

However, he wasn’t done torturing her. Rather than take what she offered so blatantly, he bent his head and sucked hard on her nipple. “Not quite yet.” He rolled her nipple between his teeth and made her whimper from the arousing combination of pain and pleasure. “Turn over.”

“Blaine…”

“Just do it.”

She looked up at him. “Will I get a turn to be in charge?”

“Any time you want, baby. Just not tonight.”

Reluctantly, she turned onto her belly and waited to see what he would do. She kept her eyes closed and focused on breathing while she could. She’d learned to expect him to steal the breath from her lungs.

When she heard him rustling around with the items on the bedside table, she had to force her eyes to remain closed. His hands were suddenly on her back, gliding and smoothing over her tense muscles as the citrusy aroma of the massage oil he’d bought at the store filled her senses.

“Feel good?” he asked.

“Mmm.” All the tension seemed to leave her body as she drifted on a cloud of contentment. “So good.”

As he worked his way down her back, she felt the hard press of his erection against her bottom.

She raised her hips and pressed against him, hoping he’d take the hint that she was more than ready. Once again, he ignored her signals and continued with his own agenda.

Groaning, she said, “You’re out to torture me tonight, aren’t you?”

“The way I see it, I’m torturing myself and pleasuring you.”

“How’s that?”

“You’ve gotten to come—a couple of times. I haven’t.”

“Oh,” she said, swallowing. “Don’t let me stop you.”

Laughing softly, he continued to slide his hands over her back, moving lower with every sweep. When he turned his full focus to her bottom, the breath caught in her throat and every nerve ending in her body stood up to take notice. She’d had no idea that was such an erogenous zone.

“Breathe,” he said in the sexy voice that was a turn-on all by itself.

Tiffany sucked in a deep breath.

“Keep breathing.” His talented fingers kneaded her cheeks, delving into the cleft between them and setting off a whole new riot of reaction throughout her body.

She clutched the pillow so tightly her fingers ached while she focused on drawing air to her starving lungs. She’d had no idea—no idea at all—that sex could be so all-consuming. Nothing in her past with Jim had prepared her for such an inventive, creative, thoughtful, sexy lover.

He leaned away from her, reaching for something on the bedside table.

The next thing she knew, he was urging her onto her knees and arranging her so her bottom was in the air.

Tiffany was both mortified and wildly curious at the same time. Keeping her eyes closed, she heard him rip open a condom and roll it on and was filled with relief to know he was finally getting to the main event. She braced herself for his entry, but nothing happened. She was about to ask him what he was doing when she felt the hard press of his fingers against her bottom. Oh God. Oh God, God, God…

“Relax and let me in.”

Right, Tiffany thought. Easy enough.

He teased and coaxed his way in, and from the tingle and heat his entry generated, she realized he’d used the lube that heated on contact. Later, when she was able to piece together a coherent thought or two, she’d have to think about how the product made the experience even more exciting than it would’ve been otherwise. Right now, however, she was hardly thinking like a businesswoman, especially when he withdrew his fingers and pressed something much bigger and firmer against her.

The plug… Jesus… As she thought of the length and width, she began to panic. He couldn’t do this. It would never fit. Her safe word hovered on the tip of her tongue, but curiosity won out over fear, and she didn’t say it.

“Breathe, Tiffany,” he said, more sternly than before. “Push back. You can do this.” His lips were soft against her back as he kept up the insistent push of the plug, making her burn with a mix of pain and pleasure unlike anything she’d ever experienced. “A little more, baby. You’re almost there.”

How could there be more?

All at once, the plug slipped into place, and while the pain subsided, the pleasure pounded through her in waves so enormous she could barely process each one before another was upon her.

“God, that’s so hot.” He squeezed her cheeks and pressed against the plug, setting off a torrent of reaction that made her gasp. “I wish you could see what I see.”

“Blaine…”

His hands came around to cup her breasts, his fingers rolling and pinching her nipples. “What, baby? Tell me. How does it feel?”

“I need to come. Please.”

“You got it.” Grasping her hips, he pressed himself against her opening, pushing and retreating, urging her to yield to him. The plug made everything tighter than usual, which made her tense up each time he tried to gain entry.

“Relax, baby. It’s okay. Let me in.”

Her entire focus was on the burn and stretch of sensitive tissues as he worked his way into her. And then his fingers rolled the tight bundle of nerves at her core, and she came in a burst of light and heat so intense she wondered if she would survive the flight. In the throes of the most astonishing orgasm of her life, he hammered into her, taking her higher and higher until there was nowhere left to go. She floated back down to find him still lodged deep within her, pulsing with his own release. His heart beat so hard and so fast, she could feel it against her back as he sucked in one deep breath after another. When he began to withdraw from her, she stopped him.

“Not yet,” she said, gripping the hand he’d laid on her belly. “Not yet.” As they lay pressed together in a sweaty, pulsating mess, it occurred to Tiffany that she’d had no business opening a sex-toy shop without having the first clue about what toys brought to the act. It would take her days, maybe weeks, to process the impact of this man and the reactions he’d managed to coax from her body.

“What’re you thinking?” His lips were soft against her shoulder.

Her overly sensitive skin erupted in goose bumps from that simple caress.

“That I’m glad I let you talk me into trying out some of the stuff from the store.”

His chuckle rumbled through him, making his chest hair rub against her back.

Tiffany had never felt more in tune with another human being, except for Ashleigh, but that was different. Very, very different from the overwhelming emotions she’d experienced with him.

“I take it that means you approve.”

She nodded. “I read every word that came with each item and felt like I could talk intelligently about them to my customers. But now…”

“Now you can speak from experience.”

“Yes.” She squeezed his hand. “I’ve never done anything like that. Ever.” She paused for a long moment, debating whether or not she should ask. “Have you?”

“Here and there. Nothing quite like that, though.”

“So it was different?” Tiffany cringed to herself, knowing she was fishing, but she couldn’t help that she wanted to know more about him. Suddenly, she wanted to know everything.

“Hell, yes, it was different. Right from the beginning, you’ve been different from anyone I’ve ever known.”

While the slight movement of his hips reminded her he was still lodged deep inside her—and so was the plug—his words set off a whole other kind of heat in the vicinity of her badly wounded heart.

“How is it different?”

He was quiet for a long moment. “For one thing, you’re not after everything you can get from me, regardless of what it costs me.”

Tiffany tried to understand what he meant. “They took money from you?”

“Worse—they went for my soul.”

“How so?”

After a long pause, he cupped her breast and tweaked her nipple. “I don’t want to talk about that. I’d much rather talk about you and this.” He rolled her nipple between his fingers.

While her body reacted instantly to him as it always did, her heart was disappointed that he was unwilling to share more about his past with her.

She ran her hand up his arm and then back down to link her fingers with his. “If I ever ask for more than you’ve got to give, will you tell me?”

“Baby, you’re not made of that kind of stuff. You stand on your own two feet and take care of yourself. It would never occur to you to expect a man to solve all your problems for you.”

His gruffly spoken words made her heart contract with a painful rush of emotion. “That might be the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.”

“I mean it,” he said, drawing her in tighter against him.

That was when she realized he was once again fully erect and throbbing inside her.

“Hold that thought,” he said with a kiss to her cheek. “I need to get another condom.”

When he would’ve withdrawn from her, she stopped him. “I’m on the pill.”

He went completely still.

“I’ve never been with anyone but Jim, and I had a physical recently. I’m healthy.”

“I have physicals every year for work.”

“In that case…”

“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

Tiffany laughed softly at the amazement she heard in his tone. “That’s what I’m saying.”

“I think my heart just stopped.” He withdrew from her slowly, which was actually quite a process with the plug still firmly lodged. When he was finally free, he kissed her shoulder and then her cheek. “Stay there. I’ll be right back.”

Tiffany delighted in watching the flex of his finely sculpted rear as he strode purposefully into the bathroom to dispose of the condom and clean up. She shifted onto her back and stretched her arms and legs, which set off an explosive reaction that rippled from her bottom to her scalp, toes and fingertips and everywhere in between. When she thought about how the removal of the plug might go, she tensed up and decided not to think about that until she had to.

He returned and stood by the side of the bed, staring down at her. His erection was tall and proud, nearly reaching the indented navel on his muscular belly.

Tiffany couldn’t believe this strong, sexy, gorgeous man had set his sights on her. She held out a hand to him, but as usual, he had his own ideas about how this would go.

“Come here.” He pointed to the edge of the bed.

Mindful of the plug, Tiffany moved carefully until she knelt before him at the edge. She couldn’t resist reaching out to stroke him, enjoying the sight of his head thrown back, which exposed the strong column of his throat.

And then his hand was over hers, stopping her. “Lie down.”

She did as he directed and then watched in amazement as he arranged her legs so they were over his shoulders.

“I’ve heard dancers are super limber,” he said as his hands moved seductively over her thighs. “Is that true?”

“You’ll have to find out for yourself.”

His eyes blazed with intensity as he slid his arousal through her slickness.

Remembering the difficult entry the last time had her tensing as she waited to see what he would do.

“Don’t get tense,” he said soothingly. “That only makes it harder.”

“Makes what harder?” she asked with a playful grin that masked her inner turmoil.

“Everything.” Grasping her bottom, he tapped on the plug and set off a chain reaction as he pushed into her one torturous inch at a time. “Stop thinking so much, and just feel. Just feel.” He retreated before surging into her again. “That’s it. Take all of me.” His lips skimmed her inner thigh as he pressed his thumb against her and made her come suddenly and almost violently.

With a wild groan, he clutched her hips and went with her. He released her legs, came down on top of her and held her tight against him. Then he raised his head, looked deep into her eyes and kissed her. “I want my pizza now.”

Since that was the last thing she’d expected him to say, Tiffany burst into laughter.

 

Tiffany saw her daughter through two rounds of vomiting before the little girl fell asleep in her arms. She was burning up with a fever, too. Tiffany sat in the rocking chair in Ashleigh’s room, rocking her gently until she was sure Ashleigh was fully asleep. She got up slowly and transferred her to the bed.

“Is she okay?” Blaine whispered from the doorway.

In the glow of the nightlight, she could see that he’d pulled on his pants, but his chest was still bare and his hair adorably mussed.

“She is now, but she’s got a fever.”

“That came on suddenly.”

“Usually does.”

“Anything I can do for you?”

Tiffany shook her head. “I think she’s okay now.” She left the door open so she could hear Ashleigh if she was sick again.

“How about you?” Blaine put his arms around her. “Are you okay?”

“Yes.” She snuggled into his embrace, comforted by his presence. “Goes with the territory.”

“You’re a good mom, and she’s lucky to have you.”

“That’s very sweet of you to say.”

His lips were soft against her neck when he said, “I should go so you can get some sleep.”

“Before you do…”

He was making her crazy with kisses to her neck. “Hmm?”

“I could use your help.”

“With?”

“Removal.”

He paused for a moment. “Oh. I almost forgot.”

Tiffany play-punched his belly. “Next time, it’s your turn. You won’t forget then.”

“Wait a minute. I never said I was willing to do that.”

“I don’t recall saying I was willing either.” She took him by the hand, led him to her bedroom and turned on a bedside light.

“You never said you weren’t.”

“You’re cute when you pout,” she said.

“I’m not pouting.”

“So how do we do this?”

“Lie on the bed.”

She did as he directed and watched him kneel on the bed between her legs.

“I never get tired of seeing you like this.” He bent to run his tongue over the sensitive skin he’d shaved earlier.

Tiffany couldn’t believe how easily he took her mind off the intimidating thought of removing the plug.

He continued to lick and tease as he tugged lightly on the plug, dislodging it a bit at a time.

On the verge of yet another orgasm, she sucked in a sharp, deep breath at the dual assault on her senses.

“Relax, honey,” he said as she grappled with the biggest part of the plug. “It’s easier if you’re relaxed.”

“Easier for whom?” she asked through gritted teeth.

He made her forget all about the pleasurable pain when he rolled her clitoris between his lips, making her come as he pulled the plug free.

“I don’t know how you did that,” she said, still panting many minutes later.

“Did what?”

“I went from tending a sick child to that in less than ten minutes’ time.”

“My special gift,” he said with a sexy grin.

“You just wait. Revenge is a bitch.”

“Do your worst.”

“Oh, I will. As soon as I can move again.”

Hovering over her, he kissed her. “Hold that thought.” He went into the bathroom, and Tiffany heard the water running. When he came back, he said, “We both need some sleep, so I’m going to go.”

She looked up at him, memorizing every detail of his sexy dishevelment. “I wish you didn’t have to.”

“I wish I didn’t either, but if Ashleigh finds me here in the morning, that could cause you trouble with Jim.”

“I don’t care about him. It’s none of his business who I see. He made sure of that.”

“While I agree with you, I still don’t want to cause you any hassles.” He kissed her once more and got up to finish getting dressed. When he was ready, he leaned over the bed to kiss her again. “I’ll check on you in the morning.” Glancing at the clock, he added, “Later in the morning, I should say.”

“I’m glad you came over.”

“So am I. Tonight was…amazing.”

“Yes.” Tiffany wrapped her arms around his neck and took the lead in another kiss designed to ensure he continued to think about her all the time. When she finally let him go, he groaned, which made her smile with satisfaction.

“Witch,” he muttered as he stood to finish buttoning his shirt. “Sleep tight.”

“You, too.”

She heard him close the door downstairs and fell asleep a short time later with a smile on her face.