Provocative Professions Collection (48 page)

"Busy here," he throws out quickly.

"I'll eat and drink half, since you're
busy
, and just hold on to yours until you're done."

He doesn't see fit to respond, hurrying back outside with two buckets when he's got the flames glowing brightly, instantly smothering the chill in the room. I've long wolfed down exactly half of our so-called meal by the time he comes back in, setting the pails of snow close to the hearth.

"Those will be a hot bath soon," he says, still refusing to look at me.

"Thank you." I nudge him. "Here ya go. Dinner."

Finally I have his attention, his eyes locked on mine. "I. Want. Y
ou
. To have it, Paige."

"And
I
want
you
to cooperate, saving me the trouble of tackling you to the ground and shoving it down your fucking throat."

A smirk finally wins the battle with his stubborn mouth. "Promising to tackle me
hurts
your cause, Firecracker. Come on." He gives me a hand to help me up and wiggles his eyebrows. "We'll fight about it in the bath."

While the ring around the tub's not actually moving, even Vaughn agrees—it's damn close. No way in hell we're gonna soak in a pool of…it. So we decide to stand and take turns pouring a bucket over each other.
Thank Christ!
I know he thought a bath would be more relaxing,
sweet
, but no way in hell.

There's no towels,
but
Vaughn had one extra shirt and pair of socks in his bag we can use, plus a travel-size shampoo and toothpaste. No brush, but who cares? My finger's dying to help out! Had he not already seen me naked plenty of times, the shampoo alone would've earned him a show. We're both stripped and anxious to feel somewhat clean in a blink.

"You first," I tell him, standing face to face, completely naked, in the porcelain home of what may very well be Ebola…and yet I can't keep my eyes from appreciating his magnificent body.

It doesn't seem quite fair that every piece of him be even better than the last. Kinda like the lottery. Don't give one person $385 million, no one needs all that. Give 385 people $1 million and spread that shit around! And Vaughn? At least level the playing field with a funky toenail
or something
.

Too late now though, the gene pool has spoken. Might as well enjoy the view. He takes one of the socks, dipping it in the bucket of water, then squirts some shampoo on it and starts scrubbing. The Peeping Tom shower thing is all kinds of better up close. His hand glides across the hard planes of his chest, arms, and neck, then he stops for another dip in the pail.

I use this re-dip to swallow, trying to conjure up some moisture in my bone dry mouth and assume an unaffected mask. Smart move on my part cause he commences the show by cleaning his long, engorged dick and surrounding area with mostly languid strokes up and down himself, the corner of his mouth curling while his eyes are trained on my reaction.

"All right, front's done!" I say loud enough to be awkward, then clear my throat. "Rinse!" I shout and rear back, drenching him with a blast from the bucket.

He sputters, wiping a hand down his face and winking. "Thanks. Any left in there for the other side?"

The other side!
Where his Powerball ass—oh yeah, if the rest of him is like the whole $385 mil, then that high, firm ass of his is the fucking Powerball that sealed the deal. Like taking a big, crisp mouthful outta the ripest apple in the bag.
Give me strength.

"Yep, get to it and hurry up. I'm freezing…and still dirty, Mr. Clean," I grump.

Well, can't say I didn't ask for it. He turns and there it is—the apple ass of dreams. He reaches behind him to hand me his washsock. "Can you do it? I can't reach."

"How do you manage when you
don't
have a shower buddy then?"

"Detachable shower head or," he sighs dramatically "I settle for a subpar job. It's fine, I'll—"

"Gimme the damn thing." I rip the sock from his hand amidst his chuckle, rinse it, add shampoo, and get to work.

I have to brace my left hand on his wet shoulder to stand on my tiptoes and reach the top of his back, methodically cleaning every inch of skin and stunning tattoo. "It gets more beautiful every time I see it," I murmur.

"Yeah?" he questions, carrying a trace of doubt.

"Definitely."

"Take all the time you need." His octave drops into that carnal my-legs-fly-open place and I shake my head to clear it before swiping across his ass quickly.

"All done. Here comes the water." Not as heavy now, I lift it as high as I can and let it cascade down the back of him for a more thorough rinsing…thoroughly mesmerized.

Thank God that's over. It was the most drawn-out test of wills I've ever endured. If I said I wasn't noticeably tingling in certain spots, I'd be a split-tongued liar.

Vaughn spins to face me, a naughty twinkle in his eyes. "
My
—I mean
your
—turn." He reaches over and grabs the dry sock, getting it wet and lathered up, then wiggles a finger for me to step closer. "Come to Daddy, dirty girl."

It's not
un
sexy, but far from a phrase I want to encourage or ever hear again, so an over-the-top eye roll is half my reply. "
Daddy
? No, not working for me. But I
am
a dirty girl." I turn on the appeal, toying back and moving closer. "Do your thing."

His tongue takes its signature swipe across his bottom lip while those smoky blue eyes roam the length of me, beckoning my nipples to perk up and beg.

At the speed of seduction, he keeps his touch gentle, taking painstaking measures to ensure no part of me is neglected. I know he feels the throbbing of my pulse as he washes my neck, the pounding as he rubs across my chest. Each breast is cared for long after it's clean, his hand's descent down my midriff torturously gradual.

I try to rein in my staggered breathing and the flutter of my stomach muscles, but the tenderness and serenity in his touch, his gaze, call out to—although deeply buried—the woman in me who shamefully longs to be coveted.

"Vaughn, I—"

"Shhhh, turn 'em off, Firecracker. Your mind, your mouth. Let me."

I surrender, absolutely spent from fighting "us."
Two
near death experiences and being cooped up in solitude with the hottest man I've ever been close enough to touch have exhausted me. And when he adds in the protective, kind but subtly in charge vibe—I'm only human, after all. I let my head fall back and my lids droop, immersed in the feel of his large hands exploring me.

When his palm slides between my legs, I widen my stance, welcoming his attention. His rough breaths grow as loud as my own, in time with the strokes in every crevice.

"Vaughn," I breathe, anticipation rolling through me in heated waves.

"Almost done, baby, turn around for me."

I hear him wring new water from the cloth and then it's back, moving at a much faster pace along my shoulders and spine, slowing to a teasing rhythm over and
between
my ass cheeks.

"Here comes water on your head. Tip it back more."

I expect a rush of the bucket pouring over me, but it's a light trickle, barely dampening my hair. I peer back over my shoulder, catching him pouring shampoo into his palm. "Never washed a girl's hair before," he confesses, his fingers kneading into my scalp as he begins.

I close my eyes, relishing the unfamiliar but surprisingly enjoyable attention he gives to every last strand. "Never had a man wash mine before," I reply, my entire body alive.

"Good," is all I hear him say when his hands leave me. "Do what you gotta to do to get that soap out while I rinse this gorgeous body and then we're done. With the shower…" He growls a welcomed promise and pours slowly to rinse my hair.

I scrub like a maniac, my scalp tingling with refreshment as I feel the suds lessen. "Done," I pant, ready and eager to get
filthy
.

He wastes no time, making sure to remove every last trace of soap from my body, then steps out and gives me his hand. The shirt does little to dry us both off, forget about my thick, shoulder length hair, and I'm swept into his arms and deposited in front of the fire in an instant.

"Get in here." He holds open the sleeping bag. "And scoot over. This'll warm us up in no time." He climbs in with me, smelling fresh yet still manly, and bundles me deep against his chest, solid arms clutched tight around my naked body, which trembles for more of his touch.

His chest is right there, my nose brushing it, my lips now doing the same. I use the tip of my tongue to circle one nipple, kissing across then licking around the other.

"Mmmm," he moans, erection immediate, poking at my stomach. "Paige, baby, better be looking to finish what you start, cause if I think for one second you want me inside you, that's exactly where the fuck I'm going. And I'll stay all goddamn night in that sweetness, babe. All night."

"Promise?" I blow out hotly against his skin.

A primal growl is my answer, and then I'm on my back, his damp body on top of mine.

"Kiss the shit out of me, woman." He smirks and I grab both sides of his face, though for some reason it's not an attack that I deliver but a long, pining kiss to his mouth, groaning into it.

He matches my erotic tempo, our tongues dancing in sync as he uses shallow thrusts to work his rigid length into me. My teeth graze the length of his tongue as he pulls back, breaking our kiss to catch his breath on a throaty grunt when he's fully embedded, balls flush against my skin.

I grip hold and squeeze his ass, pivoting my hips to gain friction because the man's not even moving, just holding completely still inside me. I open my eyes, meeting the unexpected tenderness in his. "Come on, move." I grind myself harder, needing him to start pumping, aggravation setting in when he doesn't respond. "Vaughn, fuck me already.
Now
."

"Question."

"Um," I wriggle underneath him, desperate and unashamed, "can it wait?"

"Nope," he quips with a fast peck on my lips. "Aside from the whole wreck fluke, would you agree things go better when
you
listen to
me
?" He's smirking. His rock hard dick is tickling my tonsils and
he's fucking smirking
!

"If I say yes, will you give it to me good?"

"Yeeesss," he drawls.

"Then yes! Absolutely, 100%, yes!"

"Ah, thanks babe." Another kiss. "Right answer."

And he gives it to me…so damn good…but not my way. His palm traces down my arm, snaring my hand and weaving our fingers together, something completely new and again, unexpected. I don't fight it, though, not when his cock, sliding provocatively slow in and out of me, feels so fucking amazing.

His free hand gently grips my chin, tilting my head up, demanding my eyes tangle with his. There's no more kissing, no more talking, and for the first time in my life, it's not needed. I feel completely free, lost in the deep blue pools watching me, wanting me, treasuring me. It's suddenly too much and strangely revealing, so I slam my eyes shut, needing an escape from the vulnerability he's uncovered.

"Don't," he murmurs. His breath hot against my lips, but he doesn't kiss me. "Let go, Paige. Trust me."

His words aren't rough and demanding or pleading and whining, they're real and sincere and before I can stop it, they shatter right through the last wall protecting my timid, pessimistic heart. My eyes peel open, focusing solely on him, and before I can fuck things up with some inappropriately timed remark, he gives my hand a reassuring squeeze.

I don't need it, though. He won this round and I refuse to dwell on what exactly that means. Instead I press my lips to his and let go of every last fear.

By the time we both succumb to sweaty, sated exhaustion, the last thought to drift through my sleepy mind is—

I think Vaughn Stone just made love to me.

Chapter 16

I wake entwined with the delicious and comforting naked body beside me. His pillow is his balled up t-shirt, mine the nook of his arm… A better night's sleep in my entire life isn't ringing any bells. I take this time to get a good look at him while he's unaware and at peace, and it's even better than yesterday's shower shot. I study each chiseled contour of his handsome face, his broad, defined shoulders and pecs, and with an
accidental
slip of the sleeping bag, his tapered waist and the deep cuts of his oblique muscles.

He's beautiful without trying, or talking, or throwing in that irresistible charisma—it's simply fact. And he's taken better care of me than anyone else ever has, myself included. The foreign sense of security has me snuggling in closer, pressing a light, soft kiss to the corner of his mouth.

"Mmm." He starts to rouse, sleepy eyes opening to greet me along with a lazy smile. "Morning." He rolls on his side and tucks me tighter against him. "How you feeling?"

"Too good for being stranded in a cabin after a truck wreck and accidental ice-skating. You?" I play with the light dusting of hair on his chest.