The Prey

“That’s the apple pie you smell baking,” she said with a grin, once they’d finished their good morning kiss. “I’ve got the turkey stuffed and ready to go in the oven.”

“Oh, goodie,” Wes said, his very blue eyes hooding with sudden lust. “That means we have plenty of time.” Without warning, he lifted her into his arms. He carried her into the bedroom and set her on the unmade bed. “You look so hot in that flannel nightie,” he teased as Mara giggled. “I have to have you.”

His eyes on hers, Wes untied the string at the waist of his PJs and let them fall away from his strong, sexy body. His cock, already semi-erect, hardened to its full girth and length as Mara pulled her nightgown slowly over her head and tossed it to the floor.

“Christ, you are perfect,” he breathed as he slid onto the bed next to her. He took her into his arms and held her close as he kissed her neck and nuzzled her hair. Mara’s nipples stiffened with pleasure as his tongue swirled over them. She reached for his warm, hard cock, cradling it in her hand as she guided it between her legs.

“I hate how we met,” he murmured, his voice husky with desire, “but I’m so glad we did, my brave, sexy, wonderful woman.”

Mara smiled at his words. When she’d been emotionally strong enough to leave the clinic, Mara had found a small apartment in Asheville, and taken a temporary job in retail to cover her expenses while she’d gotten back on her feet and begun a search for a job in her chosen career. Wes, retired from active undercover work, had arranged for a transfer into administration at the DEA’s Asheville office, and the friendship started while she was in recovery deepened to something more. Wes, always the perfect gentleman, never rushed her in any way as she took the baby steps she needed to take toward regaining intimacy.

Far from treating her like a fragile object, however, Wes seemed to genuinely admire Mara and the other girls’ strength and courage to endure what they’d been through on the island. “I’m so in awe of you,” he had said from the outset, and still said when they talked about the harrowing experience, though that happened less and less as Mara was able to process and let go, with the continued support and guidance of her wonderful therapist.

Mara moaned with ecstatic pleasure as Wes slid his hard, perfect cock inside her, his hands cupping her ass as he pulled her more fully onto his shaft. Words left her, and then all conscious thought burned away in the heat of their fierce yet tender passion. Their bodies moved in perfect tandem as each lifted the other toward a powerful and explosive climax.

Afterward, as they lay side by side in dreamy, post-coital bliss, Mara’s thoughts drifted. She thought about love, and how you might find it where you least expected it to be. She thought about her parents, who had loved to tell the story of how they’d met—each had taken the other’s identical suitcase from an airline’s baggage claim carousel and when they met to make the exchange, the spark between them had been instant, and had never waned. She sighed, thinking how much she missed them, especially on this, her favorite holiday.

Wes reached for her hand and entwined his fingers in hers. “You miss them, huh.”

“What?” Mara turned her head to face the sweet, sexy and apparently clairvoyant man lying beside her.

“Your parents. I know that sigh.”

Mara couldn’t help but laugh. “Okay,” she said. “That’s a little scary, you reading my thoughts based on my sighs.”

Wes chuckled. “You sigh at other times, like a few minutes ago, but that’s a very different sound,” he teased, waggling his eyebrows à la Groucho Marx. Sobering, he said gently, “They’re still here, you know. In your heart. In mine, too, because I love you.”

Tears filled Mara’s eyes, not because she was sad, but because Wes was so perfect. “Thank you for reminding me. I love you, Wes.”

“And I love you, Mara.” Wes sat up suddenly. “And I need coffee!” Turning back to face her, he added, “And don’t you worry, my mom and dad can’t wait to take over. After four boys, they’ve always wanted a daughter.”

Mara laughed. “Your parents are great. I look forward to being their daughter.” The flash of the diamond glinting on her ring finger caught her eye as she added, still grinning, “And I can’t wait to be your wife.”