Page 11 of Bear's Midlife Bridesmaid
He stood and reached down, taking her hand. He pulled her behind him along the edge of the bow and back toward the center of the ship.
The deck flew quickly beneath her bare feet. Erin didn’t need to reach out for the railing or ask for the lights to be turned on. She let him be her guide and flew along behind him like a cloud as they made their way below deck. This time, she could ignorethe maze of lookalike doors and trust him to open the right one.
They slipped through a door, and she heard it shut behind her. They were enveloped in darkness until Jace reached over and turned on a small lamp, illuminating a room that wasn’t too dissimilar from the one she shared with Florence. There was only one bed in there, though, and it was much bigger.
Jace still had a hold of her hand, and he used that to pull her back toward him. His lips met hers once again, hot and demanding as they explored her mouth. His big hands came around behind her, pressing against her lower back.
Erin moaned, the sound echoing in his mouth as she felt the length of his body against hers. She already knew he was in shape. That much was easy to tell by the way his uniform fit. But it was much more exciting to feel it, even through their clothes. His arms were strong around her, seeming capable of anything. She thrilled at the way her breasts compressed against his chest and the feeling of those hard abs against her soft belly. Even more hardness awaited her just below, a very physical statement of just what he had in mind by bringing her there. Jace was a gorgeous, virile male, and her bobcat was having a field day with it.
He broke free of their kiss and turned to the side to yank the covers back from the bed. He kept one hand on her hip as he did so, not wanting to let go. “This isn’t the kind of thing I do,” he said gruffly as he returned his attentions to her. Now, his kisses were gentler, tracing down the side of her neck.
Tipping her head back, Erin closed her eyes and let herself focus on the way his lips felt against her skin. She was used to being in tune with her body as a shifter and a witch, but Jace was bringing out a whole new side of her, a part she couldn’t wait to explore further. She raked her fingers through the hair on the back of his neck, where it was short, prickly, and intoxicating. This wasn’t the kind of thing she did, either, but it was different with Jace. Everything was. “I can’t say I’ve made a habit of it, myself.”
“I want you to be comfortable with all this.” His voice had dropped, a growl just above a whisper. He lifted the back of her shirt, his fingers now grazing against the bare skin of her back. They roamed upward and spread out between her shoulder blades. That awful bridesmaid’s dress wasn’t something she’d been able to wear a bra with, and now Erin was glad she hadn’t bothered to put one onwhen she’d changed out of it. Anything that put distance between herself and Jace was a nuisance.
“Oh, I am.” Her back muscles had been knotting up ever since she’d arrived on this ship, but they loosened at his touch. Yes, she was comfortable as she stood there with a man who managed to be sweet and gentle even as he took control of her body with the touch of his hand and the stroke of his tongue.
Jace lifted her shirt over her head and tossed it aside. He groaned when he saw her bare breasts in the lamplight, and he bent his head to follow the curve of them with his mouth. His tongue dipped down into her cleavage and then circled around her nipple.
Erin felt a tug deep inside her as he pulled her into his mouth. She was only half naked, and already he had her gasping for breath. Her stomach trembled as he made his way further down, dropping kisses along her sternum, then to her navel, then to the curve of her hip bone. His lips were deliberate as they pressed against her flesh. Jace curled his fingers into her waistband and stripped away her pajama bottoms. Her panties, already wet with her desire for him, went next.
The boat reeled under her feet, but it was no sudden wave. Jace had laid her on the bed with one swift motion of those strong arms she’d been admiring, and picked up right where he’d left off. He moved lower this time, bringing those tortuous kisses down between her legs. His tongue flicked expertly at her most sensitive spot, stroking her core as his hands glided along the insides of her thighs.
Dizzy with excitement and pleasure, Erin threw her arms over her head. She’d never felt more alive or powerful than in this moment. Her lower abdomen quivered as Jace brought his hands up the outsides of her legs, over her hips, and down between her thighs to start all over again. She felt the first tremblings of what was to come, her inner muscles tightening, and an anguished moan escaped her throat.
This only encouraged Jace. His hands slipped under her and cupped her backside, gripping her hard against his mouth as he sucked and licked her into a frenzy.
Erin clenched her teeth as the tension ratcheted up inside her. She cried out as it overtook her completely, making stars shoot across her vision as she reached the height of satisfaction, twisting and writhing and losing all control.
Her mood became frantic when Jace lifted himself from between her legs. She clawed at the buttons of his shirt, irritated at the damn things for keeping her from what she wanted. He helped with his belt, though his fingers shook just as much as hers as he stripped his clothes away. His cock was hard and ready for her, and she contracted inside all over again with her need for it. Erin pressed her legs against the backs of his, guiding him down on top of her.
He braced himself against her entrance before slowly sliding inside her, eased by the wetness he’d already created. He bolted forward, giving her that last inch, and let out a deep growl. He remained there for a moment, his length throbbing inside her, before beginning to hungrily thrust his hips.
Erin wrapped her arms around him, enraptured by the feel of his naked body against hers.Mine, mine, mine,her bobcat insisted. She moved against him, their bodies in rhythm, sliding and gliding in perfect ecstasy.
His breath grew rough, and he expanded inside her. Erin felt her own body responding once again, tightening against him, each of them pushing and pulling. She shook and convulsed, even the muscles in her legs spasming wildly, and brought him therest of the way. He gritted his teeth, his groans coming through as he thrust harder against her, taking everything he needed while giving her so much.
6
Jace lay as stillas possible. Through his porthole window, he could see the sun just barely starting to peek over the horizon. It was enough for him to see the woman lying next to him. She slept soundly, her choppy hair tossed over her face, leaving only her mouth and jawline exposed.
His mind relived the events of the night before, over and over again. Finding her on the deck, talking, laughing, kissing. Jace hadn’t thought twice about asking her down to his quarters. He knew he wanted her there, in his bed. He knew he wanted to please her and how much his own body wanted to do so. His bear had practically demanded it, and Jace had felt that insistence reflected in Erin’s bobcat.She’d felt so good in his arms, and to be inside her had felt like coming home.
“I should probably sneak back to my room,” she’d said at one point when they’d lain amongst the rumpled sheets, their arms around each other, their legs tangled, the softness of her belly pressed against him. “Florence doesn’t like talking to me anyway, so it won’t matter if she’s asleep.”
“You can if you want to,” he’d replied reluctantly. Jace hadn’t wanted her to leave, but he wouldn’t stop her. “I’d love it if you’d stay, though.”
Erin had picked up her head then to look at him, her lips curled. “Won’t that be scandalous for you? Sleeping with one of your guests?”
“Let them talk. It won’t bother me in the least.” He’d kissed her then. They’d spent enough time together that her skin had taken on the scent of his own, and it’d driven his bear wild.
She’d laid her head back on his shoulder. “I don’t really care, either, but I’ve caused enough trouble. I should go.”
She hadn’t. They’d both fallen asleep. Jace was awake now, but it still seemed like he was living in a dream.
This washer.It was finally her. Now, what would he do about it?
At the moment, the only thing he could do was his job. Someone had to run this boat, and he was the only one qualified. Jace lay there for a couple more minutes, trying to decide if he should disturb Erin. The day prior had been hard enough for her, though, and he’d kept her up fairly late. He slipped quietly out of bed and up to the helm.
