Heat of the Night

Connor tossed her purse and keys onto the bed, then reached for the hem of her shirt and tugged it over her head. Immediately, he dove for the valley between her breasts and nuzzled there.

'Yum… You smell good,' came his muffled praise.

'You're crazy.'

'Seriously.' He lifted his head and arched a brow. 'You and your apple pie are the best smelling things in this stinky world.'

Laughing, she ran her fingers through his thick hair. 'The world isn't stinky.'

'Who are you kidding?' He reached for her waistband and pulled her pants down, pausing a moment to admire his handiwork as she kicked out of her sneakers. 'Now that's sexy.'

'Better than cartoon dogs?' She batted her eyelashes at him.

Her body was in pretty good shape these days, considering the work out he gave her when he was home and the extra care she gave to her appearance when he was gone. She trusted him implicitly, knew he loved her with every centimeter of his big heart, saw the proof of his pent up longing and lust in his gaze the moment he caught sight of her in the airport. But she also never forgot that the man was otherworldly fine. He looked gorgeous for her, the least she could do was try to return the favor.

'Maybe,' he said, with a roguish shrug.

Her mouth fell open in mock affront, and he reached around her and undid the clasp of her bra.

'Okay.' His brogue deepened at the sight of her bare breasts. 'That's definitely better than cartoon dogs.'

'Well, that's something, I guess.'

'But not the something,' he teased, dropping to a crouch and taking her panties with him. Connor pressed a kiss to her pelvic bone and stood. 'Come on.'

With his hand at the small of her back, he directed her to the bathroom. There she found their new self-heating spa tub filled with steaming water and surrounded by unlit candles. A metal caddy tray traversed the distance from one side of the tub to the other and held a small crystal vase of stargazer lilies-her favorite flower-and a jauntily opened box of gourmet chocolates.

'Nice!' She whistled, mentally calculating days and dates in an effort to recall if she should be marking an anniversary or special occasion of some sort. She winced as pain lanced through her head and she instantly gave up. Now was not the time to have a nose bleed.

Who knew the human brain could only hold so much information before it exploded? Thank god, someone in the Twilight was keeping on eye on her. Lieutenant Wager had coerced her subconsciously into sleep-writing a note to herself one night when Connor was away.

I'm working on it. Hang in there.

P.S. Wow! Have you got lots of great stuff in here.

Whatever. Stacey just felt better knowing that someone was actively working to help her. Who knew what she'd do if she didn't have Wager? Connor would drive himself insane trying to fix it and she knew there was nothing he could do. Having eons of information in her cranium told her that much. They had to get the data out of her head somehow and only the Elite in the Twilight had the technology to do it.

'You like?' Connor asked, beaming.

'I like,' she confirmed, turning to face him and rising to her tiptoes to kiss him. 'What's the occasion?'

'That's the something.'

'The bath isn't the something?'

'Nope.' He held out his hand to her and helped her into the tub.

After she sank beneath the water with a hiss of pleasure, Connor picked up a conveniently located lighter and lit all the candles. Then he kissed her forehead and said, 'I'll be back in a bit.'

He left the room and Stacey lay there a moment, trying to figure out what he was up to. Her gaze drifted around the tub, her heart both full and light. She reached for a chocolate and paused, noting the folded slip of paper beneath the gold foil box. Curious, she pulled it out and opened it.

Application for Marriage License.

Stacey froze.

The groom's side of the information had been filled out in crisp, clear print.

She exhaled slowly and carefully, then broke out in a wide grin. Maybe some women dreamed of romantic declarations, tuxedos, and/or grand gestures. Connor's gesture worked for her, because it came from his heart. She knew he had trouble putting his feelings into words, but he had no trouble showing her how he felt. After a lifetime of smooth-talking men who lacked substance, she loved having a man who was capable of so much more than just pretty, meaningless phrases.

From outside, she could hear the low rumble of Connor's voice on the porch, probably explaining something to Justin. Stacey was endlessly amazed by Connor's desire to teach and his aptitude for it. It was a natural extension of his thoughtfulness. He liked to say that he was all brawn, but really, she thought he was all heart.

Sighing with contentment, she set the precious paper down carefully and began to wash; preparing her body for the long night of lovemaking she knew was ahead.

'Does that dreamy smile mean what I think it does?'

Turning her head, she found Connor lounging against the jamb with wet hair and a towel around his hips. The image reminded her of their first night together and set her pulse rate racing. She loved it when he got so hot for her he couldn't wait a minute longer to get inside her. From the tent his cock was making against the terrycloth, it looked like he was close to feeling that way now.

'Does this paper mean what I think it does?' she retorted with a cheeky wink.

'If you think it means that I love you and want to make you mine in every way, then yes. You've got it right.'

'I want you.' The husky note in her voice left no doubt about what she wanted. She couldn't help it. Whenever he said the word 'love,' her instinctual response was the desire to wrap around him. To hold him and be held by him. To feel his beautiful body straining as he fucked her hard and long. 'Is it nine o'clock yet?'

His slow, sensual smile started a quiver low in her belly. 'No. But Lyssa and Aidan just left with Justin. He's going to stay with them tonight.' With a quick tug, Connor dropped the towel, revealing his magnificent cock. 'By nine o'clock you'll be begging me to let you catch your breath.'

'Oh yeah?' She licked her lips as he approached, twisting to come up onto her knees.

'Oh yeah,' he confirmed, leaning over to hit the switch and turn on the jets.

They'd had to replace the old shower/bath when he'd moved in to accommodate his size. Connor had sold several artifacts to McDougal, which afforded them a sizeable nest egg. They could move to a bigger, more modern house, but none of them wanted to. Instead, they preferred to fix up their existing home.

Connor stepped into the tub and she stopped him. 'Wait.'

He tensed and when his cock swelled further, she knew he understood what she wanted.

'Baby…' There was an aching note in his voice that made her nipples hard. He loved it when she gave him head. Loved it in a way that made her love doing it to him. With Connor, the act made her so hot, she felt like she was melting.

She gripped his erection with dripping wet hands and pulled his upthrust cock down to her waiting mouth. Her tongue darted out and licked across the tiny hole at the tip and he shuddered violently.

'Stace,' he breathed, his hands sliding through her water-slicked hair. 'You'll kill me.'

The smile she gave him was pure mischief. 'Lucky you're immortal, eh?'

Opening her mouth, she sucked the thick crest just barely inside, her tongue flickering teasingly across the sensitive spot just underneath. Connor's powerful thighs quivered and she reached around with one hand and cupped his ass.

'Yes,' he hissed, his hips rocking gently. 'Your mouth is so hot… the way you lick my cock…'

If she could have smiled, she would have. She loved the way he praised her, the way his hands moved so gently over her scalp even in his passion. She redoubled her efforts to please him, sucking stronger, her fingers kneading into the firm cheek of his ass. Her head bobbed as she rode the pulsing length with her mouth, using his groans and guttural cries to guide her. She took him as deep as she could until he butted up against the narrowing of her throat.

'Fuck. Ah, fuck, that feels so damn good, Stace.'