Kate's Happily Ever After Read online

  Kate groaned, closed her eyes and turned up the radio.

  Chapter Two

  The Manistee Hunting Lodge and Conference Center, located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, was a fascinating blend of rustic charm and high-tech facilities. The brochure Beth had unceremoniously dropped on Kate’s desk hadn’t done it justice. Set on over a thousand wooded acres, the main lodge was a sprawling log building boasting a large restaurant, six meeting rooms with state-of-the-art computers and hotel rooms on the second floor. Throughout the property, on well-maintained trails, were a few cabins for those who desired more privacy.

  In the crowded lobby, Kate and Bryan waited their turn to check in. She understood why one of the decorative features of the space were the numerous stuffed and mounted animals, but it still creeped her out a little. “I think that bear over there is watching me,” she whispered to Bryan with a tilt of her head.

  “Smart bear,” he replied. His killer smile raised goose bumps along her arms.

  “Bryan Phillips and Kate Allen,” he announced cheerfully to the clerk when they finally got up to the counter. The guy barely made eye contact before he focused on his computer screen. A piece of paper spat out of the printer. The clerk grabbed it and a key then set both on the counter.

  “Sign here, sir.” He pointed to the bottom of the paper. “You’re in cabin number twenty-three.”

  “And the lady?” Bryan asked as he scanned the receipt. Kate tried to read over his shoulder without success. The clerk looked at them as if they were dimwitted.

  “Cabin twenty-three,” he said a bit louder. “Go out of the parking lot, turn left and follow the signs. Next, please.” He looked around them to the next people in line.

  “Slow down, Lester,” Kate said, reading his name tag. “There’s obviously been a mistake.” She nudged Bryan a tad to the left so she could be face-to-face with Lester. I’m sure that we have separate accommodations.” She tried to keep her voice down, but her rising panic made it difficult to control her tone.

  “No mistake, miss. It’s right here in the computer. Cabin twenty-three, under both of your names, already paid in full.” He tapped the screen for emphasis. “Next?” he called out again. Kate leaned into the counter and fixed the rude little man with her fiercest scowl.

  “I said,” she firmly enunciated the last word, ready to hit him with the full force of her upset. She didn’t get a chance.

  “Thanks, man, everything’s cool. Come on, Kate. Let’s go.” Bryan picked up the key and receipt, took Kate’s hand, gave it a slight tug and walked them toward the main door out of the lodge. Kate’s ire rose with each murmured remark and snicker she heard.

  Bryan helped her into the car. He walked with purpose around the front of the vehicle, got in and stuck the key in the ignition.

  “Don’t you dare start this car,” Kate ordered. “Why didn’t you argue with that fucking moron? I’m sure Beth paid plenty for separate rooms, and they’re just ripping off the company. I’ll straighten this out in about five seconds.” She dug around in her purse and pulled out her cell phone.

  Bryan grabbed the phone from her hand. He shoved it on the seat between his legs. Ignoring her shocked indrawn breath, he started the car, put it into gear with more force than Kate thought was necessary, and drove out of the parking lot.

  “First of all, I wasn’t going to let you make a scene in front of all those people. Secondly, if the lodge is booked solid, which I believe it is considering this seminar is through an internationally recognized tech company, we will deal with it. Third and most importantly,” he lowered his voice to a warning tone, “don’t order me around like that unless it involves a safe word and a couple interesting toys.”

  Kate sat dumfounded and gaped at him in utter disbelief. What was she supposed to say to that? He’s into kinky shit? Her pussy tingled. Stop, focus. She’d just wanted to fix a bad situation. Why was he all bent out of shape at her? She hadn’t caused the problem. She’d just wanted to rectify it.

  She couldn’t stay in a cabin with him! From the pictures, they appeared small, probably only one bathroom and one bedroom. Maybe, there was a couch to sleep on, or a recliner, or hell, a blanket on the floor would do. Nervousness, uncertainty and not a small amount of excitement had her heart pounding at record speed. As they drove farther into the dense woods on the twisting dirt road, Kate started to wring her sweaty hands together. She watched Bryan smile as he parked in front of their cabin.

  “We’re here!” he announced then bounded out of the car. He practically ran to her side and opened both the front and back doors at the same time. While she tentatively exited, he pulled out the suitcases and cooler. He had already unlocked the cabin door and stood waiting for her when she finally, cautiously, stepped up onto the tiny porch.

  “Go on in, Katie,” he encouraged with a warm, smile. “Everything will be okay, I promise.”

  “I’m going to kill Beth when we get back to the office,” she muttered as she walked past him into the cozy cottage.

  The living room was quaint and very “up north” with its knotty pine interior, stone fireplace, overstuffed furniture and furry rugs. A small kitchen was straight in front of her, across the room, and there were only two doors on either side of it. One was ajar, revealing a bathroom. Kate drew a steadying breath while staring at the other door, which, by process of elimination, had to be the bedroom. She groaned aloud. She couldn’t do this.

  “Bryan, I’m not trying to be high maintenance, but I seriously don’t think I can stay here.” Her voice shook, and she was afraid she might burst into tears. She turned toward the front door only to find Bryan had moved to stand an inch away from her. The unbridled desire in his eyes was staggering.

  Bryan put a hand on the small of her back and moved the other to cradle the nape of her neck. With slow, deliberate pressure, he pulled her fully against his body. She watched in stunned silence as his head tipped down to her. His lips were warm and gentle. He kissed her just once then laid her head against his strong shoulder.

  “It’s okay,” he cooed. “I’ll take care of you. There’s nothing to be afraid of. It’s me, remember, the buddy you’ve known for years. I want to be with you, to make you feel good, to make us both feel good. Trust me, Kate.” He breathed the coaxing words seductively as he gently rotated his hips.

  Kate lifted her head to look into his face. The tenderness and need there melted her heart. She trusted this man. She wanted everything he could give her. Slowly, she lifted her arms to his shoulders and offered herself. Bryan’s soft lips brushed hers with the lightest of touches. He nipped and teased her mouth, stopping to lean back and gaze into her eyes after each tantalizing touch.

  Bryan’s pulse pounded in his ears and other more important areas. At least, his skyrocketing blood pressure was now due to monumental lust and not anger. Why in the hell hadn’t Beth asked him before she’d booked one cabin for the two of them? He’d confided to her that his efforts to subtly change the dynamic of his and Kate’s relationship wasn’t going so well, and she’d been more than eager to help move things along with the out of town adventure, but he never implied, let alone said a word, about them shacking up!

  There were numerous benefits to being friends with a woman prior to taking her to bed. Bryan knew Kate didn’t date much and was well aware of some of the reasons why. She had high standards where men were concerned. Her ex had hurt her terribly, and she was still gun shy about giving her heart. She also had some issues regarding what was proper sexual behavior. He planned to help her work those out immediately.

  He deepened his kisses. Kate wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and melted into his embrace as his tongue explored beyond her lips. She tasted so sweet he wanted to drink her up. They sparred and mimicked what they would soon repeat with their bodies. Bryan couldn’t believe this beautiful, exciting woman was finally in his arms. It felt as if he’d waited eons to have her luscious curves rubbing against him in all of the right places. He wan
ted to make love to her for hours, to lick every inch of her before succumbing to his driving need to bury his cock so deep into her creamy pussy that she screamed his name. He wanted to work her into such a frenzy she’d never forget their first time together.

  Bryan halted their frantic kisses long enough for them to draw in much needed air. As he did so, he cupped her bottom, bent his knees slightly and held her tightly against his raging hard on. His heart skipped a beat when her hips answered his movements in kind.

  “Do you feel how hot I am for you? How much I need you? Please, tell me what makes you feel good, what you want,” he pleaded between ragged breaths.

  “Bryan,” she whispered, low and sexy. “I’ve fantasized about being with you for so long, but now that it’s happening, I’m…” Her words drifted off. Bryan instantly recognized hesitation in her eyes.

  “Oh, hon, I’m sorry,” he rested his forehead against hers and struggled to get himself under some kind of control. “I didn’t mean to go too fast. I’ve dreamed of making love with you for so long I’m out of my mind with lust.” He flashed a little grin and caressed up and down her back.

  Everywhere he touched, her skin felt electrified despite still being fully covered in clothing. Her pebbled nipples tingled as they pressed into his muscular chest. Her pussy ached to be filled. Her body was so ready for him, yet insecurities tried to rear their ugly heads. Bryan was a young, virile, young man. Would she, could she, please him? What if he was disappointed when he saw her naked? What if she did something wrong? Was having sex like riding a bicycle? After her lengthy dry spell, would she even remember how to do it?

  No, no, no! she admonished herself. Her fantasies would become reality if she stopped over-thinking and just let nature take its course.

  “Make love to me, Bryan.” With boldness Kate had never considered she possessed, she raked her nails across his broad back.

  “Oh my God, hon, that’s music to my ears, not to mention my cock.” His tongue surged deep into her mouth, tasting everything, while his hands worked under her sweater. He shoved her bra upward. He lovingly caressed the swell of each breast as he brushed her hard nipples with the pads of his thumbs and kissed along her collarbone.

  Kate moaned deep in her throat at the tickle of the cool metal in Bryan’s tongue stud. When he licked around her areola, she grabbed the front of his shirt and tugged. The sound of buttons clattering on the wood floor barely registered. She pushed the offending cloth off his shoulders and caressed the soft covering of honey-brown hair on his chest. She found his flat nipples and pinched.

  Bryan wrenched his mouth from her skin just long enough to jerk her sweater and bra up and over her head. In an instant, he latched back onto her breast and sucked. He rolled his tongue around her nipple, scraping it carefully with his stud. Kate drew in a sharp breath at the decadent sensation and felt Bryan smile against her.

  He switched his ministrations to her other breast as he carefully guided her backward across the living room and into the bedroom. When they’d reached their destination, he held her firmly and fell with her onto the soft mattress. For the next few moments, they feverishly rid each other of all clothing. At last, they were flesh-to-flesh. Bryan helped her to scootch up so her head was on one of the pillows by the headboard. He loomed above her, propped up on his muscular arms. Kate ran a finger down the bulges and dips. Damn but he was ripped.

  “You are the most beautiful woman on the planet,” he announced as he nibbled her earlobe.

  “I’m already naked here. No need for idle flattery,” Kate joked. She grabbed two handfuls of his hair and pulled his mouth back down to hers. She couldn’t get close enough, touch him enough. She was on fire from the inside out. Every inch of her body felt over-sensitized. She writhed beneath him and moved her pelvis in silent invitation for more, much, much more.

  Bryan kissed his way down the side of her neck, stopping frequently to nip and tease as he journeyed southward. He ran his tongue along her ribcage. He tasted her navel, causing tiny tremors to skitter through her tummy when he circled the tiny hole. He licked over both her hips and in the creases of her thighs. Kate was frustratingly aware of the fact he didn’t so much as breathe on her pussy as he continued his trip down her body.

  She rose up on her elbows and watched him caress from her calves to the top of her feet. “Oh my God, Bryan,” she pleaded, loving the sight of his naked ass raised high as he leaned in to suck on one of her toes. “You’re torturing me!” Kate was too embarrassed to ask for what she wanted him to do, so she made her best attempt at sexy wriggling.

  “Hey, I’m trying to demonstrate my exceptional skills of seduction,” he said with a chuckle. “Why don’t you tell me what else you’d enjoy me doing?”

  She couldn’t. She was worried that whatever came out of her mouth would sound inappropriate and probably seriously stupid. Kate slowly allowed her knees to fall outward, fully exposing her needy vagina.

  “I’ll accept that as communication this time,” he said. Bryan slowly progressed back upward and stopped a breath away from her pussy lips.

  Kate feared she might faint. She was about to find out if her imagination was anywhere close to the real thing. She truly couldn’t believe she was going to actually experience honest-to-goodness, hot, steamy sex with the star of her fantasies.

  He first tickled her pubic hair with warm puffs of breath. Kate’s legs trembled and fell open farther on their own. Her desire and her all-consuming need to have this man love her were the only thoughts in her lust-fogged brain.

  Bryan gently slipped one finger into her gushing pussy. He stroked in and out a few times before adding a second and a third finger. Her body gripped him like a vise and attempted to pull him deeper inside.

  “Katie, you’re so hot, so wet. My cock is in the sweetest agony ever.” His tongue darted out and touched her pussy lips. “But I can’t fuck you until I taste you. I’ve dreamed of it for so long.”

  With that, he started his sexual onslaught in earnest. His tongue surged into her channel with such purpose her hips jerked off the bed. He grabbed her ass cheeks, pressed her firmly into his mouth and proceeded to eat her as if she were a succulent piece of fruit. His moans and sucking noises fired her blood. Kate felt a powerful orgasm begin to build. She spread her legs as wide as they could go. His fingers moved harder and faster when he drew her clit deep into his mouth. The second his metal stud pushed against her ultra-sensitive bud, she was lost. Kate screamed his name as her uterus contracted with the force of her orgasm. She knew she was pulling his hair. She knew her juices coated his cheeks and dripped onto the mattress. Somewhere between leaving her house that morning and this very moment, she’d temporarily lost her normal inhibitions and surrendered to extraordinary passion. As she struggled for breath, she also instinctively knew this glorious man was just getting started.

  Bryan sat back on his heels, smiling like the Cheshire cat. His cock was almost purple, proudly jutting from his body, boldly demanding attention.

  “God, you’re perfection.” He ran his hands along her inner thighs. “I’ve never tasted anything so sweet. I’m going to fuck you until we both can’t see straight.”

  Kate struggled to a sitting position and reached for his massive erection. She salivated at the prospect of sucking him deep, of feeling his cock slamming against the back of her throat. She knew his cum would be sweet and salty.

  “No touching. I swear I’ll spray the ceiling.” He leaned over the side of the bed and came up holding his jeans. He yanked his wallet from the back pocket and removed a small packet. He threw the pants and wallet back onto the floor. With shaky hands, he rolled the condom into place then settled himself over her.

  His engorged cock nudged at her opening. He kissed her hard, allowing her to taste herself. With one powerful thrust, he buried himself to the hilt. Kate had never felt so stretched and filled by a man in her life. She waited expectantly for him to move, but instead, he remained frustratingly still. She gazed
up into his eyes and saw strain etched in his features.

  “You are so goddamn tight. I’m not going to last very…” His voice was a low growl.

  “Please, Bryan, I can’t wait,” Kate begged.

  Bryan put both his arms under her armpits, lifting her slightly in order to slip his large hands behind her neck. Crushing her chest to his, he feverishly pumped his rock-hard penis into her pussy. Kate wrapped her legs high around his waist in an effort to afford his cock further access. She grasped his ass cheeks and held on for dear life.

  She delighted in the slippery feel of the perspiration that dripped from Bryan’s body as he slammed in and out of her. Her pebbled nipples rubbed against his chest hair, sending jolts of desire straight to her clit. She wrapped herself around him in every way possible while meeting his thrusts. She could take everything he had to give. Kate felt his cock swell even wider, signaling his impending explosion. She stayed with his fevered pace, desperate to return the exquisite pleasure racing through her system. She cried out again when a second, even more intense orgasm swept through her. Bryan shouted out his own satisfaction as he pounded through his release. He collapsed onto her with a satisfied groan.

  “Jesus Christ,” Bryan breathed haltingly next to her ear as he rested his head on the pillow. “You are one incredible lady.”

  “That was unbelievable,” Kate agreed as she gently stroked his perspiration-drenched hair. “I have no idea what came over me. I’m normally not the most passionate person in the world.”

  “You’re seriously kidding me, right?” Bryan lifted his head to smile down at her. “In case you missed it, we just ripped each other’s clothes off and had the wildest sex this side of I don’t know what. Everything about you screams passion, hon.” He dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose then watched her intently as he slowly pulled out of her body. He removed and tossed the condom in the direction of the bedroom waste basket. He then settled onto his side and drew her into his arms.