Status Update (19 page)

“Little did she know how well it would suit you.” He smiled. “You want to come in?”

She nodded.

“You’re sure?” He seemed hesitant. He must be worried he was pushing her to do something she didn’t really want to do.

She unclipped her belt and turned to face him. Raising a hand, she brushed his cheek and his long dark sideburns, and slipped her fingers into his thick, curly hair. Then she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his.

He inhaled, and then he lowered his arm around her and held her as they kissed. His lips were firm and warm, and when she opened her mouth, he stroked his tongue inside. She murmured her pleasure, and his arm tightened as he deepened the kiss, causing her heart to hammer as her breathing quickened.

When they finally pulled back, she pressed her lips together, shocked at how much she hungered for him.

He cleared his throat. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
 

She followed him as he got out of the car and walked across to the house.

He opened the front door and they went inside, and he switched on a lamp in the corner, casting the room in a warm glow. He was such a big man, tall, broad-shouldered, heavily built and well muscled. Although he had the reputation of being clumsy and frequently knocked over vases and lamps and walked into doorframes, he moved gracefully, his body toned and flexible. He obviously worked out, she thought, noting the way the shirt stretched over his biceps as he reached across to throw his keys onto the coffee table. He was a fine figure of a man.

Suddenly nervous, she walked through to the dining and kitchen area and perched on a stool by the breakfast bar as he followed her in.

“Glass of wine?” he asked, going over to the fridge.

“Please.” She shouldn’t drink any more—she’d have a hangover the size of Australia the next morning, but it would give her something to do with her hands, which shook a little with nerves.

He retrieved a bottle of white wine from the fridge, poured her a glass and slid it across to her, and got himself a Coke. As she sipped the wine, he went over to where his iPod sat in its dock, selected a playlist and pressed Play. The warm sounds of some folksy jazz filled the room, and he turned down the volume so it played in the background.

He perched opposite her on a stool, his long legs brushing against hers. “Hey,” he said, smiling.

She smiled back, aware of her heart pounding, the adrenalin rushing through her veins. “Hey.”

He reached out a hand and took hers, lacing their fingers together. “Don’t be nervous.”

Was she that transparent? She couldn’t deny it. “Sorry.”

He brushed her knuckles with his thumb. “It’s okay. It’s been a while for me too, you know.”

She nodded, not knowing how to explain it wasn’t just the fact that she hadn’t slept with anyone for years. How could she tell him it was the closeness of him that was making her mouth dry—that the sight of him in a smart shirt with his gorgeous dark curly hair and tight jeans made her shiver?

“We don’t have to do anything tonight if you don’t want.” He raised her hand and kissed her fingers. “We could just sit on the sofa and chat, if you like. I don’t mind.”

Well,
that
just made her melt. She took a final mouthful of wine for Dutch courage and then put the glass down, slipped off the stool and moved closer to him between his legs. She slid her arms around his neck, and he moved his around her waist. Where he was sitting, it made them the same height, and she brushed her lips against his.
 

“But you’ve already paid,” she said huskily.
 

“True,” he said.

“So if I don’t come across, I could be arrested under the Trade Descriptions Act.”

He chuckled. “We wouldn’t want that.”

She batted her eyelashes coquettishly. “Unless you’ve changed your mind. Would you like me to leave?”

In answer, he pulled her hard against him and crushed his mouth to hers. The full force of his passion washed over her, and she gasped. He took the opportunity of her open mouth to deepen the kiss, and she sighed as his tongue stroked hers, warm and inviting. He slid his hands up her ribcage over the tight dress, brushing her breasts, and then pulled back.

“I’m sure you look delightful in this pretty bra,” he murmured. “But I’d rather feel the real you. Can you do that miraculous trick girls do and take it off under your dress?”

“Are you sure?” Nerves filtered through her again. “It kind of props up everything that’s beginning to head south.” He just raised an eyebrow, however, and she cursed beneath her breath, trying to remind herself that she was supposed to be a slinky call girl. Slinky call girls didn’t talk about baby tummies and sagging breasts. “Sorry.”

First she took out the check he’d given her from her bra and popped it into the purse she’d left on the table. “Don’t want to lose that.” She reached behind and unclipped the bra, drew the straps down her arms beneath the sleeves of the dress, then pulled the garment out and tossed it onto the table. She glanced down. The dress was really more of a long, tight tube with small sleeves, and it clung to every part of her body, leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination. Her nipples stood out like buttons through the fabric, and her breasts looked huge.

“Wow.” Toby’s eyes gleamed. “You have an absolutely fantastic figure.”

Warmth spread through her at his admiration. “Thank you.”

“You’ve lost some weight.”

“Breastfeeding did that.” The words were out before she could stop them, and she bit her lip. Could she think of any more ways to turn him off?

But he didn’t look turned off. He ran his hands up her body to cup her breasts. “You’re so soft.”

“You’re not,” she said breathlessly as he pulled her to him, his erection obvious even through the jeans.

“Is that any surprise while you’re in my arms, so sensual and womanly?” He moved his large, warm hands over her, making her quiver as he ran his fingers up her back, then brought them around to cup her breasts again. He brushed his thumbs over her nipples, murmuring his approval as her eyes fluttered shut. “You smell fantastic,” he said. He nuzzled her neck and ear, and she shivered.

She kissed him again, holding his face with both hands as she delved her tongue hungrily into his mouth. He tasted divine. It had been so long since she’d kissed anyone—since she’d kissed him, in fact. How had she lived without this for so long?
 

He was coaxing her body awake, stirring long-forgotten sensations, and an ache grew between her thighs. Her nipples tightened in response to his touch, and she arched her back to push them into his gentle hands. He groaned.

Her fingers itched to touch his skin, so she began to undo the buttons of his shirt, gradually revealing his wide, bronzed chest, shaped with firm muscles. He went to slip the shirt off, but she shook her head. “No,” she whispered, “keep your fuck-me shirt on.”

His eyes widened with amusement. “My what?”

“You heard me. That shirt wants only one thing. You look so damn sexy dressed like that.”

He grinned. “Fine.” He held the bottom of her dress. “But I want you naked.”

Instinctively, she grasped his wrists, stopping him. A skintight dress was one thing. Being completely naked and not in utter darkness was another.

He wrested his hands free, and gently but firmly moved hers away. “My check is now in your purse,” he reminded her. “I seem to remember offering you an amount that would cover pretty much whatever I wanted.” He let go of her hands and held the hem of the dress again. “Arms up.” His voice was firm.

Her cheeks grew warm at the desire in his eyes. Closing her own, she lifted her arms.

He peeled the dress up her body and over her head. The fabric whispered to the floor. Fighting the urge to cover herself, she stood for a moment biting her lip. Even though her eyes were shut, she was sure she could feel his gaze burning through her.
 

Then his hand cupped her cheek, and she opened her eyes to see him smiling. “Hey, beautiful,” he said.

She looked down at herself, finding it difficult to see anything but the stretch marks and the way her muscles had loosened since childbirth. “You want your money back?”

In reply, he kissed her.

Sometimes it’s not just the tide that rises…

Full Moon

© 2013 Mari Carr

Second Chances, Book 2

In the two years since her divorce was finalized, Josie Jacobson’s life has become one long, boring routine. Work, home, repeat. She has her hands full as a single parent, and while she’s not looking for a serious relationship, she sure wouldn’t mind getting laid.

When her friend, Zoey, challenges her to make a New Year’s resolution for a second chance at happiness, Josie goes one better and creates the “Howl List”. Every full moon, she will indulge in a different sexual fantasy. Right at the top? Sex without strings.
 

Fate leads her to the Blue Moon bar in January. After all, what better place to howl? And when she meets Jake Stewart, the sexy bartender, and engages in some red-hot sex with a stranger, her year seems to be off to a great start.
 

At least, until Jake declares he wants all her full moons…

Warning: This is NOT the shifter story you are looking for. While the heroine howls during the full moon, she does it in naked, human-form only. Sorry—no wolves, but there is a really sexy bartender and lots of red-hot fantasies.
 

Enjoy the following excerpt for
Full Moon
:

“Tonight’s full moon is sex in public.”

Jake choked on the drink and put the glass back down. “In public?”

She nodded.

“What the hell do you mean by full moon?”

Josie considered avoiding the question, but there was no harm in telling him the truth. She explained about her list and her desire to fulfill the fantasies.

“So what’s on the list? Besides the stranger danger and PDA ones.” Jake was exactly as she’d remembered him. Unflappable, fun, funny.

She shook her head. “I’m afraid the contents of the list are privileged information. If I told you, I’d have to fuck you.”

Jake grasped her shoulder, pulling her closer. “I’d have no problem with—”

“Jake?” A waitress stood by their table. She pointed to a couple of loud drunks by the door. “I think we might have trouble. You wanna take care of it?”

Jake sighed. “Yeah, sure. I’ll be right over.”

The waitress went back to work.

Jake leaned closer, whispering in her ear. “If you don’t have any luck with number two on the list within the next hour, come find me.”

Josie didn’t have a chance to respond before Jake rose and went to address the problem by the entrance. She took a sip of her drink, hoping it would calm her down. It was suddenly quite warm in the bar.

Josie watched Shelly and Lance dance, then gazed around the room. The place was crowded and there certainly wasn’t a shortage of men hanging around, either drinking alone or standing in large groups.

She spotted one large table across the room. It appeared the men were all out for a bachelor party. She found the groom-to-be instantly. The party must have been going for a while because the man had at least a dozen empty shot glasses in front of him. His friends were sending him out of bachelorhood in style. She slowly studied each of the men at the table, silently trying to decide which were married, which were mama’s boys, which were playboys.

Josie had never paid much attention to the opposite sex. Tony had been her first boyfriend. She’d fallen fast and hard for him toward the end of their junior year in high school and she’d convinced herself she was lucky. She’d honestly believed she’d found her soul mate at sixteen.

She closed her eyes wearily. The silly romantic girl she had been was long gone, leaving Josie struggling to figure out what her beliefs regarding love were now. Since the divorce, Josie had concentrated on setting up a new home for her and her son, working long hours to pay the bills, and avoiding the dating scene as much as possible because she refused to open up a revolving door of men in Tommy’s life.

She remembered too well how painful it was when her mother would bring home a new boyfriend, include him in every aspect of their lives, then yank him out again after the break-up.

Josie wouldn’t—couldn’t—do that to Tommy. The full-moon list had been created to protect him. And her.

So while she was tempted by Jake’s offer, she wasn’t sure she should accept it. She’d thought about the handsome bartender too many times the past few weeks. If she had sex with him again, wasn’t she sort of tempting fate and running the risk of developing feelings for him?

As tough as she tried to pretend she was, Josie knew when it came to matters of the heart, she was way too soft.

A man lingered at the edge of the dance floor by her table and gave her a friendly smile. It wouldn’t take much effort on her part to show interest, to invite him over.

Josie glanced over her shoulder and watched Jake deal with the two drunks by the door. Apparently a fight had been brewing between them, but somehow Jake had calmed the waters. They were laughing at something Jake had said. She smiled. Then she ignored the stranger and stood up, approaching Jake just as the two men shook his hand and said goodbye.