Coral Hearts (7 page)

“Oh, such sweet words. I’m happy to give you what you’ve asked for, pet. He easily found a rhythm they both enjoyed, withdrawing slowly and then shoving deep with a hard thrust—over and over again—the movements a dance of seduction as old as time itself. With each plunge the tip of his cock pressed against her cervix, and he felt the telltale tremors of her release building. The tide of her coming orgasm shined bright in her deep blue eyes, and her heart beat wildly against his chest. Coral’s dark hair was fanned around her head in a glorious tumble of damp waves, and the contrast between her hair and the color of her eyes stole his breath.

When the fluttering of her vaginal walls turned into punishing contractions he knew she was teetering on the edge, and he was right there with her. Sliding his knees up so they pressed against the backs of her thighs tilting her hips into the perfect position, he slid in fast and hard knowing the rigid corona would press against her sweet spot. She screamed before going completely wild in his arms. Sage wrapped her tightly in his embrace and in a few more strokes followed her right over the edge, free falling into a canyon that held nothing but pure white-hot rapture.

Sage was mesmerized by the colors flashing behind his eyelids and it took him several seconds to realize the shout he’d heard was his own. When he finally managed to pull enough oxygen into his lungs to speak, he looked down into her glazed expression and grinned. “You destroyed me, pet.” The truth was more profound, he felt as if Coral had ripped his soul from his chest before being returning it to him—minus the small sliver she’d kept for herself. His muscles took another minute to come back to life and a couple more before he trusted his legs to hold him up. “Stay here, baby. I’ll be right back.”

By the time he returned with a warm washcloth and soft dry towel she was sleeping soundly. He made quick work of cleaning the evidence of their lovemaking from between her toned thighs. He gently patted her swollen tissues dry before crawling in beside her. Throwing the bed covers over them, Sage smiled at how perfectly she fit against him. The warm cocoon of blankets made him feel like they were the only two people in the world. Snuggling against his side, Coral threw her slender arm over his chest and used his shoulder as a pillow. The last thought he had before drifting off to sleep was an overpowering sense of gratitude. He’d finally found her…the woman he’d been looking for his entire life had finally found her way to him. Coral Williams fit him perfectly in every way. Her soft, warm, deliciously naked body pressed against his, settling something deep inside him. The fact she slept so contentedly told him how utterly exhausted she’d been. Knowing she trusted him enough to relax in his embrace, letting go of all the horrors she’d been dealing, with touched him clear to his soul.

C
oral was floating
somewhere between sleep and wakefulness, simply drifting on a soft cloud of expensive cotton sheets that felt more like polished silk. The pillow she was hugging smelled like Sage Morgan…
holy hell this has to be the best dream ever
. Without even moving she felt the tenderness in the tissues between her thighs as memories of the night before started to come into focus.

Letting the evening play back in her mind, she remembered when they’d been in the shower Sage told her he wanted to make their first time a memory she would cherish—and he’d done exactly that. Stretching out her tired muscles before moving from the bed, Coral was about halfway to the bathroom when the door opened and Sage stepped in to the room. She squeaked in surprise, but before she could scramble back to grab something to cover herself with, Sage pulled her into his arms. “Don’t even think about hiding yourself from me, baby. There are two places in this house where you will never be allowed to cover what belongs to me—and this suite is one of those.”

“One?” Coral heard the thread of doubt in her voice, and the small wrinkle between Sage’s brows let her know he’d heard it as well.

“Pet, humiliation has never been my kink and I don’t think it’s yours either. But I do think there is a bit of exhibitionist in you, but it’s something we’ll need to explore.” His grin was something between amused and heated desire making her want to push him…just to find out which one would win. Sage leaned down, and whispered against her ear, “Don’t try to deny it, sweetness because it won’t work. The great thing about this lifestyle is that you don’t have to deny yourself anything. The freedom you’ll find in exploring your sexuality will quickly become one of your favorite aspects of being a submissive—that is,
if
you are brave enough to take the chance.”

Coral wasn’t a fool—she knew a challenge when she heard one. The problem was…she didn’t have any argument against what he’d said. And even if she’d had one, Coral wasn’t sure she’d have voiced it.
Why would you want to limit your options, Coral Anne? This is your chance to live out a fantasy pretending you are a character in one of the books on your e-reader, even if it’s only for a few days. Oh my God, I’m talking to myself again.

Coral took time
to explore her surroundings after lunch, and was quickly overwhelmed by the sheer size of the Morgan’s home. There were literally
suites
of rooms in three different wings of the main house. She’d asked if it had once been a lodge of some kind, and Sage had laughed out loud. “No sweetness. Mama just needed a lot of space to raise five sons. I think it was how dad kept her from strangling the lot of us. To say we were a handful would be an understatement.”

She’d fallen instantly in love with the sheltered area at the back of the mansion. The outdoor space was decorated for the holidays, and looked like a winter wonderland. The fading afternoon light cast the entire area in the shadows giving her a glimpse of the thousands of white lights decorating the trees and lining seating areas warmed by beautiful rock fire pits.

Fuckalicious, I can’t wait to see this at night.
There were two separate heated swimming pools connected by an arched log bridge. Coral hadn’t been able to stop herself from imagining what the area must look like during the summer when the mountain meadow behind the house was painted with the bright wildflowers she’d fallen in love with last year.

“I’m pretty sure Montana is one of the places God loved most, because he sure seems to have given it all his best. The only thing missing is the ocean.” Coral hadn’t really intended to say the words out loud as she stared out the French doors into the frigid afternoon air. She’d enjoyed her stroll through the courtyard as Sage had called it, but the frigid temperatures had finally taken their toll. The extreme temperatures had blindsided her last winter. She’d been raised in the south, so she hadn’t been prepared for the icy wind cutting through her lightweight coat. Her wardrobe was still woefully inadequate for the bitter cold she’d experienced.

Sage stepped up behind her wrapping his arm around her torso beneath her breasts. “Is that homesickness I hear in your voice, sweetness?”

“Not really. I love it here, but there is something about the ocean that resets a person’s soul. The beauty of nature is displayed so abundantly. I didn’t get to visit it often, but there is something about the endless rhythm of the waves making their way onto the beach that mesmerizes me.”

Sage watched Coral
closely as they’d ambled through the only place he’d ever called home. He’d shown people around what had quickly become known as the Morgan Mansion more times than he could count, but Coral’s reaction had been unlike most. Thinking back on Mackenzie’s reaction to his home, Sage couldn’t help but smile at how different the two women had reacted. Mackenzie had seen nothing but dollar signs as they’d followed much the same path he’d been taking with Coral. The woman he’d thought he was going to spend the rest of his life with had pointed out all the changes she’d be making to the house and asked more than once about the authenticity of various works of art his parents had purchased over the years—he’d known she was keeping a running tally in her head.

Jack Sorenson was one of his dad’s favorite artists and there were several of his original works in what was now Sage’s office. Mackenzie had wrinkled her nose in disgust. “Those are valuable? Really? Why?” When he’d tried to explain, she cut him off. “We’ll sell them and find something that will work with the more modern theme we’re going to incorporate throughout the house. Why anyone would want to look at pictures of sweaty cowboys is a mystery to me.” Oddly enough, of all the things Mackenzie had done that should have tipped him off to their lack of compatibility—it had been that moment when Sage had finally recognized how different they really were.

Coral on the other hand hadn’t once mentioned the monetary value of anything he’d shown her. But she hadn’t missed the fact there were several paintings by the same artist either. The large painting over the fireplace downstairs caught her eye. “This looks like it was done by the same artist as the pictures in your office.” He hadn’t answered her, but simply waited while she studied the large landscape. “I didn’t look at the signature…I don’t really know much about art. But the feeling is the same and the use of color. It’s perfect for this house. I’m not surprised you like this you know.” He didn’t miss the fact her words had been a statement rather than a question.
Good to know she can hold her own.

“Explain.” He hadn’t meant for his response to sound gruff, but she’d surprised him and that didn’t happen often.

If she’d noticed his less than polite response, she didn’t comment. “It’s about strength of character. All three of the pictures I think were done by the same artist have that recurring theme.” Sage had been leaning against the mantle studying Coral while she’d studied the painting. When she’d looked over, meeting his gaze, he watched her eyes dilate when she realized he’d been watching her. He was convinced she hadn’t intended the remarks as an attempt to gain his favor—she’d simply made an honest observation. The significance of the moment wasn’t lost on him. Coral had seen right to the heart of why his dad loved Sorenson’s art—something that had been completely lost on Mackenzie.

The pink tinging her cheeks made him realize he hadn’t responded, and she was misinterpreting his silence. “You’re exactly right, pet. And I can’t tell you how thrilled Pop is going to be with your observation. You’ve seen right to the heart of what he loves about Sorenson’s work. Not everyone sees the underlying message—they see the landscape and admire it or not. Most people don’t understand the strength of character it takes to survive in such a rugged environment.”

“The pictures are lovely and they fit the décor perfectly. Did your mom decorate it herself or was it done professionally?” Coral let her gaze roam around the room and Sage wanted to rejoice as he saw nothing but admiration in her expression. There was no hint of the monetary calculation he often saw when showing people around what was simply
home
to their family.

“Mom will be the first to tell you she had help redecorating a couple of years ago. But I assure you, everything you see was personally overseen by Mama Morgan. My lovely mother works like a well-oiled machine. I swear she could run the ranch with one hand tied behind her back if she put her mind to it. Take my advice—don’t ever stand between Patsy Morgan and her goal, she’ll steamroll you.” He was pleased to see her smile at his words because her entire face lit up from the inside each time it happened. In Sage’s opinion, Coral didn’t smile nearly enough. But, considering everything he’d learned about her over the past twenty-four hours, he wasn’t surprised. He fully intended to make it a personal mission to make her smile as often as possible—but first he needed to convince her to
stay
.

“Your home is amazing. Thank you for the tour. I should probably get my phone back from the sheriff…you know, so I can call for help if I get lost.” Sage got the impression there was a bit of truth in her teasing statement. The damned place might appear vast, but with the number of people continually traipsing through, he was sure she wouldn’t have trouble finding help when she needed it.