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  Something bursts open inside me and I feel an overwhelming wave of gratitude. I’m glad to be here, too. I’m grateful for this stinking job because it brought Avery to me. I’m grateful for this snowstorm that forced us together. I’m grateful for the drafty window that sent her to my bed.

  “I’m glad we met. I’m glad I have a new friend,” I say at the risk of sounding like an awkward middle schooler. “The truth is, things get lonely out here. Work keeps me busy and I rarely have time to socialize. But damn I do miss simply shooting the bull with someone.”

  She squeezes my hand again. “I like you, Coach. I’m so glad I got to meet you, Rory Chapman.”

  With that, she rolls to her side, facing away from me, and almost instantly begins to snore.

  And here I am, a head full of things I want to say to my new friend, and a body full of urges to do things with my new friend that are clearly outside of the friend zone.

  I start to drift off to sleep without any stress about whether either of us will try anything inappropriate. And just before I completely give in to the dreamy, cozy darkness, I find myself scooting a little closer to her warmth.

  Just one innocent inch.

  Chapter Ten

  Avery

  I wake a few hours later because I have to pee, thanks to the beer I drank.

  I feel warm and cozy. Content, even as the wind and snow rage outside and whistle through the drafty windows of this old building. I’m in the most comfortable bed I’ve ever slept in in my life.

  Or is it the company?

  And then, I feel warm breath on the back of my head.

  As I push the blankets off, I glance over at Beast, who is sleeping soundly. His head lies on my pillow.

  I watch him for a while until the urge to pee is too strong to ignore.

  Smiling like a goofball, I quietly sneak off to the bathroom.

  After I finish, I watch him from the doorway, pausing when I see him start to stir under the blankets. His hand reaches out to where I had been lying and my breath catches. What the—? Surely he’s having a dream.

  His hand sweeps the empty space. I hear a sleepy grunt, and then his large form rotates from his right side to his left, rolling back over toward the wall on his side of the bed.

  My heart skips a beat. Knowing he was reaching for me in the middle of the night should not make me so happy.

  Hookups with guys I barely know is not a thing for me. I see myself as a serial monogamist, but then long-term dating is not exactly an option for someone who takes their work as seriously as I do. At least, that’s the story I tell myself.

  I know plenty of colleagues who have had the time and inclination to date. Even get married. It just hasn’t happened for me yet. I just haven’t met anyone who could keep up with me. Or, at least, anyone who made me want to slow down.

  I climb back into bed and hear him sigh in his sleep. Once again, I grin like a schoolgirl. Scooting in close enough to transfer my body heat to him, I could easily touch him if I reached out, but I wait and I think about it. I want to, but I don’t want to make things awkward. Finally, I give up and roll over to my other side and drift off again.

  Before I sink all the way into sleep, I hear the sound of shuffling blankets and feel the weight shift. He’s rolled over again, and now he’s right behind me. The first thing I feel are his knees, fitting into the bend of the backs of my legs.

  His cock presses against my left ass cheek. The long, hard rod has me considering whether I should push back against him, reach back and grab it, or turn over and see what happens.

  Which of those things does he want me to do?

  Which of those things do I want to do?

  I’m a modern girl, but I’m also an old-fashioned romantic.

  When I push back against him again, he presses harder into my ass. His arm slides around and grips my waist, pulling me tighter. I release a sigh, which seems to turn him on even more; Beast’s other arm becomes my pillow when his hand reaches down to cup my breast.

  This escalated quickly, as these things do when two people with a mutual attraction share a bed.

  “Careful. You keep snuggling up against me like that and you’re going to wake up the little beast.”

  Beast’s arms pull me in so tight I could not ignore his steely length pressing into my ass cheek even if I wanted to.

  I don’t really want to.

  “Doesn’t feel so little,” I reply.

  “You want me to stop?”

  The question hangs in the air between us for a moment. Hell, no, I don’t want him to stop. But if the sex isn’t good, and we’re stranded together for days, things could become extremely uncomfortable.

  I roll over to face him.

  “No. No, I do not.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Beast

  Her voice does dirty things to my mind and my cock. “I can’t call you Beast in bed. That’s the first ground rule.”

  I land a kiss on her mouth that’s deep, soft and wet, making it clear that I don’t want to talk anymore.

  Her moan vibrates into my lips. “You can’t put your dick in me without telling me what I can call you.”

  I grunt against her cheek. I’m so fucking hard for her I have no choice but to do as she says. “Fine. Call me Rory if you must.”

  She teases with a giggle. “It’s a good name and I wanted to hear you say it. See? That wasn’t so hard.”

  Her arms wrap around my neck while our mouths crash together again. This time I take it deeper, more urgent. I suck her bottom lip into my mouth as I hold her body against me tightly, our tongues each devouring the other, no time for playing and savoring anymore.

  “Rory.”

  My heart thuds at the sound of her saying my real name. Not Beast. Not Coach.

  I can’t tell if it makes me uncomfortable or excited. I could not possibly feel more aroused than I already am just to be close to her. To feel her skin against mine. Inhale her scent. Taste her mouth.

  I grumble into her shoulder. “You don’t have to keep calling me that. I know it’s not easy to say.”

  “But that’s your name. Don’t you like it?”

  “Nobody has called me that since I was a kid.” My voice shakes. The more I try not to let my emotions show through, the more they do.

  “Do you miss it? Do you miss being called that?”

  “I guess. Maybe. Sometimes.” More trembling words.

  “Rory.”

  “What?”

  “Touch me.”

  I exhale as if I’ve been holding it in for some time. I slide both hands under her shirt and she automatically raises her arms to let me swipe my shirt off her and toss it aside.

  My hands smooth over the cotton of her bra, and my thumbs swipe against her hard nipples.

  She sucks in a breath and says my name again. I have to grit my teeth to maintain control, as my whole body only wants to press her down and have my way with her. Where did that come from? Geez.

  I slide my hands behind her back and ask if she’ll help me take off her bra.

  She smiles as one hand reaches back and pops the hooks loose.

  “I normally don’t sleep with a bra on,” she says. “But for some reason I have to keep it on when I’m a guest in someone’s house. One of my quirks.”

  “Hmm,” I grunt. “I’m looking forward to getting to know more of your quirks.” I push the straps down and kiss the imprint of them on each of her shoulders. Avery lets me fling the bra to the floor, and then I cup both of her breasts in my hands, the skin soft and warm.

  “It’s a good thing you did, ’cause I enjoyed helping you take it off.”

  In the darkness, her smile is evident in the sound of her voice. “Next time I’ll do a whole striptease for you.”

  I let out a growl before I can stop myself.

  “Oh, you like that idea?”

  I kiss down her neck, blazing a serpentine trail of hungry kisses. “What I would like is to suck your nipples.”
>
  Avery whimpers and bites her swollen bottom lip.

  When I suck one tight bud into my mouth, my heart races faster. It gallops faster still with every gasp and moan that my mouth elicits from her. Those sounds, the taste and feel of her skin, and the sensation of her nails digging into the back of my neck, harden my cock beyond what I thought was possible.

  “All that moaning from you is gonna make me explode.”

  She purrs, “Then explode inside my pussy. It wants you.”

  “Shit. That mouth,” I spit out. “Get those panties off and I’ll get the condom.”

  “Deal,” she whispers as her hand skims down my chest, and lower, and lower still until I hiss and grab her wrist.

  “Nuh-uh,” I say. “No, you don’t. Not if you want me to last even ten more seconds.”

  I turn to rifle through my bedside table while I listen to the whisper of movement as she removes the last bit of her clothing. Just knowing she’s naked behind me does things to my whole body. My cock may already be standing at attention in the extreme, but also, every muscle, including my heart, seems to have woken up.

  That’s when everything falls apart.

  “Fuck!” I sputter.

  “What is it, Rory? What’s the matter?”

  I turn and see the most beautiful creature lounging on her side on my bed, the curve of her hip highlighted in the ghostly light from outside, where the blowing snow swirls around the street lights.

  “No condoms. I thought I had some but…I’m sorry, Avery. I don’t.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Avery

  I smile, taking it all in stride. “It’s fine, I can just…”

  But Beast rises up off the bed and stomps out of the room, cursing under his breath.

  “Where are you going?” I ask.

  “I’m going to get a condom.”

  “Oh,” I say, sitting up. “Somewhere else in the apartment?” Seems a little dramatic to get this upset if he has condoms somewhere else in this place.

  “No,” I hear him mutter. “Down to my car. I left them in the glove box. Hopefully they’re not ruined by the freezing temperatures.”

  I shiver, and then pull the fuzzy blanket up to my chest, unable to stop the smile that forms at the thought of why he keeps condoms in his car. I picture him taking a girl out to wherever people go in this town to make out in their cars. I can’t deny the primal twinge of jealousy, but it’s also cute. And hot as hell, thinking about people fucking in cars. I’ve never fucked in a car, but now I kind of want to.

  “Wait!” I call out, springing out of the bed and wrapping myself up in a blanket. “I’ll come with you.”

  I hear Beast heading through the kitchen and toward the stairs.

  “No,” he says. I’m just going down for a minute; no need to get cold.”

  I catch up to him and watch him don his boots. His tall, beefy frame, no shirt, pajama pants, and snow boots turns me on even more. I plead, “I can come with you and we can do it in your car.”

  He glances up at me. “That’s…no. We’re not doing that. Too cold.”

  “But car sex is so hot,” I say. “At least, I think it is. I’ve never done it before.”

  His boots finally on, he looks me up and down. “No. The truth is, it takes forever for the car to heat up, and besides that, it’s a waste of fuel. And there’s an increased likelihood my car won’t start in this weather anyway.”

  “OK. Well, we can keep each other warm, right? That’s kind of the whole point.”

  He tromps down the stairs and I follow. “You’ve clearly never been stranded by the side of the road in a snowstorm. It gets really cold, really fast. It’s not safe. And look at that wind,” he says, when he reaches the bottom landing and peers out the window in the door. “It’s not safe even for you to step outside.”

  I press my fists into my hips in indignance. “Then why is it safe for you to go out there and not me?”

  He puts on his coat and zips it up. “Because I have more padding on me.”

  I scoff. “You’re not a fucking polar bear.”

  Beast cups my face and lands a deep, sensuous kiss on my lips that sends flames licking between my legs and nearly makes me forget what we were arguing about. “Be right back.”

  He opens the door, despite my continued protests.

  “Rory, wait…”

  He rears back against the rush of wind as the gale takes the metal door right off the hinges.

  “What the hell!” he yells into the storm.

  I scream and pull him back. In his surprise at the door breaking loose, he stumbles, which causes me to stumble, and I fall backward onto the stairs. “Oof!” I cry.

  “Oh no!” he says, immediately popping up, turning and caging me in where I lie against the stairs. “Avery, are you OK?”

  Laughter bubbles up to the surface and I can’t keep it in. “I’m fine. I’m just…” And the giggles keep coming. The icy cold air rushing in doesn’t help. In fact, it invigorates me even more.

  Beast kneels down on the stairs, bracketing me with a thick thigh on either side of my hips. His arms circle around me. “Are you sure? Did you bump your head? Are you delirious?”

  I slap his chest. “I’m totally fine. I’m just feeling a little overwhelmed by the idea that you’re ready to plunge into a blizzard to find a condom.”

  He joins me in laughter and soon our mouths are joined again, sending shivers across my skin that, together with the freezing cold air, make for the most delicious goosebumps. “Hmm,” I say, quivering against the cold and with excitement that he stokes in my body.

  “This is nuts, let’s get you upstairs and get you warm.”

  I drag my fingernails down his bare chest, eliciting a lethal growl from him. “Only if you promise to take me back to your bed and do filthy things to me.”

  Beast kisses across my jawline to my ear where he whispers, “I don’t have a condom.”

  I purr into his, “We have lots of things we can do without one. A condom can wait, but I can’t.” My hand trials down his abs, down to his pajama pants, where I cup his large bulge.

  Beast pulls away with a hiss and I whimper.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Stop touching me. I don’t want to nut before I take care of you.”

  I smile and shiver again. Oh my god, I’m about to get so damn lucky. “I won’t argue with that.”

  “Let me take you to my bed.”

  “I told you I can’t wait. Just do it here. Right here on the stairs. Do whatever you want to me. I want it. Right this second. Before I explode. Please, Rory.”

  I let the blanket fall open and spread my legs wide for him.

  “Fuck,” he hisses.

  “Please just…”

  But I don’t get to finish that sentence before he pops up, flings off his coat and then lifts me up with a grunt. I yelp, not sure of what is going on, but then I realize he’s using his coat to provide extra padding.

  “Oh, nice,” I murmur, stroking his hair, his shoulders, his chest. “Kiss me,” I say.

  Once again our mouths collide and our tongues tangle. His chest presses against me, and I’m grateful for the extra cushion of his winter coat under me. Making out on the stairs is no joke. But I have to have him.

  He tastes and savors his way down the front of my body, stopping to lick and kiss my shoulders, my collar bones, before moving down to bathe and suckle both of my breasts with his delicious mouth. One of his arms holds me steady while his free hand explores between my legs, delving into my wetness, caressing and squeezing my folds, and kicking up my heart rate until I’m both sweating and shivering with delight.

  When his mouth finds its way down my middle and tastes me, his whole body seems to release a shudder of pleasure. His mouth kisses, savors, licks my pussy with urgency. My hands reach down to thread my fingers through the soft curls on top of his head.

  I can’t believe we’re doing this on the stairs with a blizzard outside. Havin
g lived in the South all my life, I’ve had a few hot nights in my bed with the window open, or outside on the porch when the humidity won’t let up and the power’s gone out, but nothing has ever been this fucking hot.

  Without warning, he sucks my clit into his mouth and I nearly lose all control. My back arches and I press my pussy harder into his face and moan.

  “Rory!”

  He moans in return, before ramping up the friction of his lips and swiping his tongue harder against my clit. When he sinks one finger and then two into my cunt, I bite my bottom lip so hard I might make it bleed.

  I feel him moan, his sounds vibrating against my needy skin. The sensation makes me go feral. I open my eyes and watch the snowflakes floating in through the doorway, some of them hitting his bare back and my bare legs.

  I thrust harder against his face and dare to tug at his hair. In response, he ramps up his ferocious pace; his tongue and his mouth are frenzied now, licking and sucking in a mad rhythm that has me bucking against him.

  Beast and his fantastically talented mouth break me into pieces. I don’t know anything about blizzards, but I do know about tropical storms. The orgasm he gives me blows the doors off my consciousness with the force of a stage 5 hurricane. I scream his name—his real name—and when I do I see my own breath. And I see him shift to bury his tongue all the way into my channel, determined to feel my every spasm around it. So hesitant and mild mannered and professional in the office, and yet look at this dirty, dirty boy.

  I love it. So much.

  My spread legs turn to wet noodles when he comes up to let me savor the taste of me on his lips. I want more and deeper kisses, but it all stops when I’m swept up in his arms, still wrapped in the blanket and sheets and his coat, and he carries me up the stairs.

  I’m too overcome with aftershocks to protest. Even if I wanted to escape, my legs would be no help in putting distance between me and his beefy arms.

  “Where are we going?”

  “To the bed. Where we should have stayed.”

  Chapter Thirteen