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  Half turning toward Grace, he answered. “Yeah, he’s family. He was painfully timid and too thin when I got him from a rescue shelter. Some fucker left him in a small shed with no food or water and a badly broken leg that took three surgeries to fix. He’ll never have to worry that I’ll hurt him like that.”

  “You’re a good man, Dallas McKay,” she complimented, returning her attention to her hair.

  That was interesting. His Gracie was an intuitive woman. When he had started thinking of her as his, he wasn’t really sure. It didn’t matter. He did now. More than anything, he didn’t want to hurt Grace the way Brant the Asshole had. She deserved to be treated with respect.

  Back out in his bedroom, he checked on Max. His tail wagged and he yawned, barely lifting his head. He was content.

  Satisfied, Dallas scrubbed Max’s ears. “Sleep well, boy. And stay out of my damn bed, you hear? I’ve got Grace sleeping over. She’s something special.”

  Max thumped his tail in approval. His dog didn’t trust strangers right away. Max took to Grace the moment she’d stepped into the house. Yeah, the dog was going to end up on the bed by morning.

  The blow dryer was back on in the bathroom. Grace had really pretty long, blonde hair. It was so wavy and soft. He hoped she’d finish soon so he could run his fingers through it.

  Checking a bedside clock, he saw how late it was. “Shit.” No wonder Grace was asking whether they were done for the night.

  Heading straight to the bed, he turned down the quilt and climbed in. The blow dryer cut off. Water sprinkled in the sink. From what he could tell, Grace was brushing her teeth.

  A remote that controlled the bedroom lights sat on his side table. He grabbed it, punched a button and the lights faded very low. He set the timer to shut everything off in a half hour as she opened the bathroom door.

  She leaned back against the door, wearing her towel. “Well aren’t you the king of the mountain?” she teased, laughing softly.

  “Care to wrestle for the position?” he suggested, his cock stirring with interest.

  Grace reached over to turn out the bathroom light. Small, unobtrusive nightlights were plugged into a few bathroom sockets and cast pale green light behind her.

  “I’ll let you reign for awhile.” She hung back at the doorway, staring at the bed.

  He patted the mattress. “Come join me, baby.”

  “I’ll be there in a second.” She fought a yawn and pushed away from the doorjamb.

  Dallas barely managed to push himself up and catch her wrist before she made a beeline to the dark side of the room. “Are you okay, Grace?” He tugged her arm, bringing her around until she sat on the edge of the bed.

  She was so fucking tense, he thought she’d snap.

  “Sure,” she said. “Did you bring my stuff inside?”

  “Of course,” he answered. “Why?”

  “I was wondering where everything is.”

  “If you’re worried about your briefcase, I put it in the kitchen. What else do you need?”

  “My clothes,” she murmured, becoming shy again.

  He shifted closer and rested his chin on her bare shoulder. “How about we get rid of this towel? You won’t need anything until tomorrow.”

  She laughed, relaxing some. “I should have known you’d say that. You have a naked fetish, as well as secret Dom/sub fantasies.”

  Peppering kisses along her shoulder, he made his way to the side of her neck. She was soft there, lovely. He couldn’t stop nipping her. “You’re the one with the terminology,” he said between bites.

  “And you’re the one calling the shots,” she replied.

  “Damn straight,” he admitted. “Take the towel off.”

  Grace trembled and stood, facing away from him. She’d yawned again, damn it.

  The towel went to the floor. “Turn around, Grace.”

  She faced him slowly. She started to raise her hands to cover her breasts. Dallas wanted to see her. “No hiding.” She dropped her arms. “Now get your sexy ass into bed.”

  She laughed out loud. Finally, she climbed onto the bed, kneeling before him. “No one’s ever said something like that about my butt.”

  “Then they were idiots not to notice,” Dallas told her.

  Grace had the sweetest, sexiest curves and longest legs he’d ever seen on a woman. Big breasts, fantastic legs, generous hips and a fine ass, hell, she wasn’t an Amazon. She was built like a brick house.

  “Keep saying things like that, McKay, and you might get laid again,” she said, offering him that siren’s smile she’d shown after their shower.

  “Let’s see if we can make that happen in a little bit.” He leaned in to her. Grace shifted her legs, letting him press her back to the mattress. Blood rushed into his cock. He was more than interested now. But she remained a little tense. Fuck it, he had to get her to totally relax.

  “Fair warning, if we go at each other too much, I’ll be useless tomorrow night.”

  Dallas grabbed up some pillows, propped them behind her head and dragged the blankets up over the two of them.

  “That’s assuming, of course, that we still have a date,” she added.

  “We definitely have a date,” he assured.

  “I’m glad. This has been an amazing night.” She looked over at the clock, springing back up and almost off the bed. “Dallas? Did you see the time?”

  “Yeah, I’ve been trying to get you to go to sleep. Lay down.” He tugged her and she fell back next to him.

  “Did you know that it’s snowing? I looked out the bathroom window and saw a blanket of white on the ground.”

  “We’ll go sledding or something.” Not certain he’d ever understand the inner workings of a woman’s mind, Dallas could think of only one way to ease her worry. “Grace, relax for me. I’m not going to bite you.”

  “Damn, I kind of like when you nibble.”

  Flattening her against the bed and pillows, Dallas climbed on top to keep her still. “You do, huh? You mean like this?” He bent his head, finding the vulnerable spot on her throat.

  “That’s nice, really, really nice.” She arched her head back, offering better access.

  “How about this?” he murmured, placing kisses along her collarbone.

  She sighed sweetly. He lifted up some so he could kiss her swollen lips. They were so damn perfect he wanted to fuck her mouth again.

  “Will you tell me about your family?” she asked suddenly. “I saw the photos on the mantle, I hope that’s okay.”

  “More than okay,” he answered, thoughts of blowjobs doused as if she’d flung snow at his cock. “We can talk about them tomorrow. I’m about to get busy.”

  “Doing what?”

  “Kissing Grace Daniels,” he said.

  “Grace Daniels approves.”

  Kissing her again, he stopped further conversation with his tongue. It wasn’t that he minded talking about his family. But all that could wait. He set about seducing her to sleep. He kissed her chin, her jaw, her nose and forehead. When he was finished with her face, he traveled back to the bruise on her neck.

  He felt like a teenager making out with his girl. Her arms went around his back, her hands caressing his spine. Pushing up to his elbows, he looked down at her. Grace smiled softly, but it was forced. “Baby, I want to fuck you so bad, I ache.”

  “Then do it, Dallas. I want you too,” she said, her eyelids lowering.

  “I know you do,” he replied, lifting himself up and off her. “But you’re tired.” Turning on his side, he snaked his arm beneath Grace’s back, bringing her up against him. “Rest, I’ll wake you up in a few hours.”

  “I’d rather eat you up again,” she whispered, much softer now.

  “Tomorrow,” he promised. “Move up real close.”

  She flipped to her side, instinctively nestling closer. Her gorgeous ass settled against his groin. Spooning against her back, he tucked his erection between her thighs. Damn, nothing had felt better than her pussy
lips brushing his bare cock. It would be so easy to slip into her without a condom. He couldn’t fuck Grace without protection unless she used birth control and they became exclusive.

  Waiting for the usual panic to set in and remind him that he’d only known her for one night, Dallas was surprised when all he felt was relief for knowing she was with him. He didn’t want her to sleep anywhere else, and hell, he really wanted to fuck her with nothing between them.

  Quickly, he grabbed the remote, hitting the override. The bedside lamps went out. Grace let out a big yawn.

  “Will the lights come on if I have to get up?”

  “Nah, they’re on a timer.”

  “Oh, are you sure it’s okay to stay with you?” she asked, so softly he barely heard her. “If you’d prefer me to go, just say so. I can call a cab.”

  “Why would you think I’d let you do that?”

  “Um, this is a first for me. No one’s wanted me to stay all night before,” she admitted.

  “I want you to stay.” Finally understanding her hesitation when she’d come out of the bathroom, or so he thought, he hugged her. “The question is…do you want to go home, baby?”

  “No, no,” she whispered. “Guys tend to treat me like their big sister or a fuck buddy when they get horny. When the sex is done, they either go home or I do.”

  The green nightlights in the bathroom spilled out into the bedroom, giving him enough light to see. “All of them or Brant?”

  “I’ve only had three lovers. Two were in college. That was different.” In other words, Brant screwed her over.

  “I am not those guys, Grace,” he stated, really wanting to plant his foot up that dickhead’s ass. “In the morning, we’re going to talk about what Brant did. After that, don’t compare anything we do together with him, understand?”

  Instead of being reassured, she tensed. “I’m sorry if I did that to you. You’re an amazing man. I’m just scared I’ll wake up and find out this night was just a dream.”

  Hugging her close, he wanted to assure her that everything was going to be fine.

  “You’ll know it’s real when we have morning sex.”

  He didn’t help. She froze. “Things are going to change in the morning, aren’t they?”

  “Yeah, they will,” he said honestly. “Nothing is ever going to be the same for either of us. That’s not a bad thing, Gracie.”

  “I hope not. If this ends up being a one-night stand for you, I’m so out of here,” she murmured.

  Shooting up to his elbow, he saw that Grace was talking with her eyes closed. She really was scared that he was going to hurt her. Carefully, he smoothed his hand down her cheek.

  “You’re not going anywhere, beautiful. If you try leave, I’ll have Max sit on you.” She opened her eyes. She didn’t say anything. He kissed her softly, hoping to settle her.

  Finally, he laid back. Grace sidled closer, turning until her head rested on his chest. Rubbing her back and shoulders, he sent her to sleep with a kiss to the top of her head. Only when he was sure she slept did he close his eyes. Both his dog and his woman were snoring. The dog was much louder.

  Grace didn’t stir.

  Chapter Six

  Big, warm, calloused hands cupped her breasts, bringing Grace out of a hot dream and into an even hotter reality. Opening her eyes, she saw nothing but darkness. It took a second for her to realize where she was.

  She was in bed with Dallas McKay.

  His hands held her possessively, but gently, as if her breasts were precious and belonged to him. His chest was pressed along her back and his magnificent erection was nestled between her legs, against her slit.

  But another big body had managed to take over most of the mattress, actually making it necessary for Grace and Dallas to stay close or risk being ousted. “Max,” Grace whispered, seeing the giant dog’s shadow on the bed. He was sound asleep with his head on her pillow. Luckily for her, Dallas shared his. “He spoils you rotten, doesn’t he?”

  The covers moved with the thump, thump, thump of Max’s tail. And so did Dallas’ hands. Instead of cupping her breasts in his sleep, he began to fondle her.

  “He likes to spoil his girl too.” With a couple of hours of sleep, Dallas’ voice became as deep and gravelly as Sam Elliot’s. In an instant, she was wide awake, the tug of arousal making her wet way down deep in her core.

  “Really, how so?” she asked softly.

  Dallas tossed the covers back as much as he could, his actions hindered by the dog’s big body. “Max, go to your own bed.”

  “He doesn’t have to,” Grace said, but watched as the Great Dane stood up, gave a longing look at the pillows and carefully climbed down.

  “He’ll be fine, baby,” Dallas admitted. “I want to make love to you without my dog getting in the way.”

  “Max is a big softie, like you. That’s why I like him.”

  “I’m hard right now,” Dallas grumbled, gathering her back into his arms until they were spooned together. His cock became impossibly bigger than he’d been when sleeping. He’d had an erection, sure. But this time he felt different, more real. She could feel his rigid length along her slit and his velvety-soft foreskin brushing her clit.

  It was an amazing thing, incredible, and Grace didn’t want to lose this feeling. Dallas seemed to like it too. He ground his hips against her butt, thrusting insistently against her. His hands squeezed and played, pinching her and scissoring her nipples. Zings of need skyrocketed to her pussy, dampening her opening with cream.

  He rubbed his face against her neck, smoothing her hair out of his way. Warm lips whispered kisses along the side of her neck. He pinched her nipples while his hips rocked into her. Her heart thundered wildly, her insides melting as he bit down on her pulse. She loved when he got a little rough. It made her feel so good and wanted. Dallas was so hard and lean and muscled that he made her feel soft and feminine.

  With an insistent withdraw and thrust of his hips, his cock tapped her entrance, stopping just shy of penetration. Grace wanted him so badly right then she had to grit her teeth to keep from moving in just the right way to take him into her body.

  “Gracie?”

  “Dallas?”

  “Look at me,” he said, withdrawing enough to let her half turn toward him. Pale green light from the bathroom highlighted his handsome face. She could see him perfectly. “I’m going to make love to you, okay?”

  Nervous all of a sudden, she answered, “Oh yes.”

  “Give me one sec.” Immediately, he froze and moved away to dig into the side table drawer next to the bed. He withdrew a foil packet.

  She sat upright. “No! Dallas, don’t stop, please. I have an IUD,” she rushed on.

  He remained still, completely silent, his dark eyes boring into hers for what felt like forever. At last, he grinned like the cat that ate the canary.

  “Soon, I’m going to fuck you without any barriers, beautiful. But I don’t think either of us is ready for that step. That’s going to be a first for me, baby, understand? I want you to be sure.”

  “It’ll be a first for me too,” she said. Even though she was a little disappointed, she knew he was right.

  His hand wrapped around her elbow, gently bringing her back down on the mattress, facing the ceiling. He eased back long enough to open the packet and take out the thin, lubricated condom, stretching it around his head and shaft. Half climbing on top of her, he touched her face. Softly, he caressed her lips and jaw, running his fingers to her nape and arching her head back. He kissed her throat, her face, her lips and jaw, taking his time. His tenderness touched her heart. No one had ever been so tender with her.

  Trailing more kisses over her cheekbones, he returned to her mouth. Their lips fused, their tongues entwined. His arms encircled her back as he settled between her thighs. Calloused fingers shifted, splaying out beneath her butt and lifting her up.

  She felt his cock prodding her, seeking entrance. She was dripping wet and ready to be taken. “Anyone
make love to you like this?”

  Until Dallas, she’d only had sex. Making love was completely different, something more real and concrete.

  “Never, you’re my first,” she admitted.

  “Hot damn, baby, take my cock and don’t stop squeezing until we come,” he said, surging into her in one, deft thrust.

  “Oh Dallas, oh yes,” she cried out, squeezing him as he’d demanded. He felt amazing, huge, rock-hard and virile.

  His thrusts were slow and deep. His pelvis ground into her, making certain that he rubbed against her clit. The softness of the feather-soft reservoir tip on the head of his cock swept along her walls with each long smooth stroke, helping her to imagine what it’d be like to take him unsheathed. Nothing had ever felt so real, or so wonderful.

  This wasn’t fucking anymore. It was lovemaking at its most basic and beautiful.

  She’d first fallen for him when she listened to his feelings and fears about finding his birth mother, then she’d loved him more when she saw the photos of his family and the dozens of toys he’d bought for Max. But now, with each thrust and parry and roll of their hips, she loved him more. She knew she shouldn’t feel that way, at least not this soon. But Dallas McKay had touched something deep in her heart. She’d been hurt so many times by guys who couldn’t accept her for what she was, especially Brant, that she’d started denying she even needed a man. But that hadn’t been love. Dallas was not Brant. He seemed to accept her, never once finding fault in her size or height. He didn’t deserve to be lumped into the kind of men she’d known before.

  Pushing the past out of her mind, Grace welcomed Dallas into her heart, holding him to her and hoping he knew how deeply she felt already. The power of his thrusts grew stronger, more intent. His hands shook as he stroked and touched her. He was beautiful to her, masculine. He took her breath away.

  Deep in her core, pleasure mounted, pulling tighter and deeper than ever. At last, she came on a wave of pleasure so pure and sweet all she could do was hold onto her lover as he tenderly rocked her through it.