A Bit of Sass Read online

  An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication

  www.ellorascave.com

  A Bit of Sass

  ISBN # 1-4199-0454-X

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

  A Bit of Sass Copyright© 2005 Sarah McCarty

  Edited by Pamela Campbell.

  Cover art by Syneca.

  Electronic book Publication: December 2005

  This book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

  Warning:

  The following material contains graphic sexual content meant for mature readers. A Bit of Sass has been rated E–rotic by a minimum of three independent reviewers.

  Ellora’s Cave Publishing offers three levels of Romantica™ reading entertainment: S (S-ensuous), E (E-rotic), and X (X-treme).

  S-ensuous love scenes are explicit and leave nothing to the imagination.

  E-rotic love scenes are explicit, leave nothing to the imagination, and are high in volume per the overall word count. In addition, some E-rated titles might contain fantasy material that some readers find objectionable, such as bondage, submission, same sex encounters, forced seductions, and so forth. E-rated titles are the most graphic titles we carry; it is common, for instance, for an author to use words such as “fucking”, “cock”, “pussy”, and such within their work of literature.

  X-treme titles differ from E-rated titles only in plot premise and storyline execution. Unlike E-rated titles, stories designated with the letter X tend to contain controversial subject matter not for the faint of heart.

  A Bit of Sass

  Sarah McCarty

  Dedication

  For the McCarty Mobettes. You know who you are, and I hope you know what you mean to me. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

  Trademarks Acknowledgement

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

  Jeep: General Motors Company

  Playgirl: Playgirl Key Club, Inc.

  Garfield: Paws, Incorporated

  LactAid Milk: Johnson & Johnson Corporation

  Pepsi: Pepsico, Inc.

  Chapter One

  He lay sprawled, naked on the bed. A big, golden man with a runner’s leanness tempered with the solid muscle of a man who liked to work outside. Sass ran her eyes from the curling auburn hair on Jacob’s broad chest down the rigidity of his abdomen, lingering on the seductive jut of his heavy cock, before continuing down his legs to his slightly splayed feet, stopping at the intriguing crook to his big toe. Damn, he was beautiful. And hers to do with as she willed. An early Christmas present to herself. Jacob. Her best friend. Her lover. The one man she could have for now, but not forever. Her hand hovered above his thigh. She glanced at his face. He was looking at her, his deep blue eyes glittering at her from under his lashes, his bold, rough-hewn features tight with the force of his desire, his dark red-brown hair a splash of color against the creamy white pillows he’d stacked behind him. He was waiting for her touch. Eager for it.

  She took a steadying breath and brought her hand back to her thigh. She’d never been good at this part of lovemaking. Always seeming to do the wrong thing at the wrong time until she’d simply given up trying. And she’d continued that pattern into her relationship with Jacob. Up until now, he’d always taken the lead, allowing the darkness she’d insisted on, letting her be passive because it made her more comfortable, but tonight they were doing something different. Today, this last time between them, she wanted to make love to him the way she’d always dreamed she could make love to a man. With the light on and no secrets between them.

  She sucked her lower lip between her teeth and tucked her hair behind her ear, keeping her gaze on the space between them. She just wished she knew where to start.

  The sheets rustled. A shadow flickered across her thighs and then Jacob’s big hand, hard, calloused and so familiar, cupped her cheek. His thumb tugged her lip free of her teeth. “Look at me, sweetheart.”

  She felt the blush start in her toes and rise right along with her humiliation. She wasn’t striving for femme fatale, but she had hoped to avoid total fool. Why hadn’t she just gone straight for his cock rather than trying to impress with finesse? “I’d prefer not to.”

  His thumb under her chin pressed his point, but it was the hoarseness of desire under the understanding in his deep chuckle that got her eyes to meet his. “Whatever you want, Sass, however you want it. That’s our deal.”

  Easy for him to say. There probably wasn’t a position he hadn’t tried, whereas she had zero experience being the aggressor, and she so wanted to make this good for him. So good he’d remember it forever. Her hand lifted and hovered again, one millisecond, two, before lightly touching his knee. Beneath her fingers, muscle flexed. “I just want to do this right.”

  His generous mouth twitched at the corners. The blue in his eyes darkened. “And you think there’s a way you can touch me wrong?”

  “Not wrong exactly, but there are certainly techniques that work better than others.” And she’d read them all in preparation for this moment, but quite frankly, some she hadn’t understood and some she flat out couldn’t see herself doing. Especially the one touted as guaranteed to rock his world. Just thinking about doing that to him embarrassed the hell out of her.

  “Now, there’s an interesting surge of color.” His fingers brushed her cheeks, and the twitch at the corner of his mouth spread to a grin. “Care to share what brought it on?”

  “No.”

  His fingers skimmed her neck, caught on the strap of her push-up bra and followed it down to the lace demi cups. “I’ll kiss your pretty breasts if you do.”

  More heat filled her cheeks but along with it came laughter. Jacob always made her laugh. “No.”

  Those teasing fingers cut a path outward from the center of the silk bra, over the swell of her breast to circle the hard tip of her nipple. Fire trailed in the wake of his fingers, burning deep to her core when he flicked the hard point. She was still taking a controlling breath when he stole it again as his hands drifted lower, his intent clear. “I’ll eat this sweet pussy.”

  Said pussy clenched on a near painful bolt of arousal. Jacob McConnally had a very talented tongue and knew how to use it. She frowned at him and caught his hand as his fingers dipped between her thighs. “I’m beginning to believe you have an oral fixation.”

  His teeth flashed white as his fingertips curled against the silk barrier between them, unerringly brushing her eager clitoris. “Maybe. When it comes to you.”

  She tightened her grip on his wrist, but no amount of pushing could dislodge his hand and no amount of deep breaths could still the wild tingles engendered by the slow, repeated circling of his finger. Disguising the effect of his touch on her voice was not an option, so she didn’t bother trying, but she did manage to frown through her gasps. “That is cheating.”

  He shrugged unrepentantly, and the sheets rustled an echo of the laughter that crinkled the corners of his eyes. “Then maybe you should tell me the dirty thought that has your cheeks flushed.”

  “What makes you think it’s dirty?”

  His response was a cock of an eyebrow and a pat of his hand against the pad of her pussy. If he hadn’t caught her shoulders, she would have doubled over. She grabbed his forearm and held on for all she was worth. Oh God! He made her feel so good. And if she didn’t do something soon, this ni
ght would go the way of the rest. “All right!”

  He didn’t release her shoulder and didn’t take his fingers off her clit. “So tell already.”

  There was no other way to do it except blurt it out. “I can’t imagine sticking my finger in your rectum.”

  The only indication she’d shocked him was the flicker of his lashes and the break in the rhythm of his caress. “And you would do this because?”

  “It’s guaranteed to rock your world.”

  His laugh was deep and rich, his stroke along her clit slow and lingering. An answering languorous twist of desire tunneled to her core. Too much to withstand. She closed her eyes as the ache spread. Damn it, he was going to make her come.

  “Ah, that’s the expression I want to see.”

  She forced her eyes open. It was incredibly difficult. He was watching her, laughter in his eyes, pleasure in his touch. “You are obsessed with making me come.”

  He didn’t look at all repentant. “It turns me on. Your head drops back and you make those hot little sounds deep in your throat…” His stroke shortened, the pressure increased. Pleasure so intense it was almost painful speared outward, consuming her will. She knew her nails were digging into his arm, but she couldn’t relax, couldn’t let go. A whimper broke past her determination.

  His “Just like that” was a deep purr of satisfaction.

  The rocking of her hips was as instinctive as her response to his touch. “You are such…a…control…freak.”

  “But you like it.”

  She did, but she wasn’t admitting it. “So you say.”

  “So I say.”

  The laughter left his face to be replaced by the sensuality that was so much a part of his nature. His fingers pinched damp silk and hot flesh. “This little pussy is all swollen and wet.”

  The coil tightened, twisting her insides in a vise of anticipation. “So?”

  “You need to come.”

  “Not right now.”

  “I think now.” His grip shifted. His thumb lingered. Her breath caught as her muscles contracted on a harsh stab of desire. “Damn it, Jacob, this is my show.”

  He shook his head at her, an indulgent smile softening his face as his stroke deepened. “Come for me, just a little now, sweetheart. Just enough to take the edge off.”

  She shook her head, a last bid for control. There was no coming “just a little” with Jacob. “I’m supposed to be making you feel good.”

  “It makes me feel very good to hold you like this, please you like this.”

  His fingers rubbed her through the silk, cupped it around her clitoris, used the ultra-smooth material to facilitate his stroke. “Come for me.”

  She didn’t have any choice when he pinched her like that, milked her like that. The sensation built, rose, and rolled over her, stealing her thoughts, her plans and her inhibitions, throwing her into the abyss of her own desire, and ultimately into the security of Jacob’s control.

  * * * * *

  He was holding her when she recovered. His satisfaction in her response was evident in the possessive glide of his hands stroking up and down her spine. Beneath her cheek, his heart thundered. Against her ear his voice rumbled, “I love the way you respond to me.”

  She knew that. He left her in no doubt that he loved everything about their physical relationship. Since the day they’d met in the same writing forum on the internet a year ago when she’d sold her first book, she’d been fascinated with him. From the day she’d met him in person, she’d been in love with him, but never, not by a hint or a misplaced word did he ever indicate he wanted more than this between them. She respected his honesty in their relationship. It wasn’t his fault she thought in terms of commitment while he fully enjoyed the freedom and spontaneity of the lifestyle being a wildly successful suspense author afforded him. As a thirty-five-year-old single mother of two young children, who also held down two jobs as a realtor and newly published author, she couldn’t manage spontaneity without at least two weeks notice.

  She stroked his chest, smiling as the thick hair tickled her palm and his hand came up to cup her head. He was a wonderful, fun, caring man, but he wasn’t for her and nothing highlighted the reality of that more than the importance these free-and-easy, no-strings weekends had become to her happiness. It was time for her to cut her losses. But not before she created one last memory to sustain a future without him.

  She pushed to her knees, meeting the question in his gaze with her most confident smile. “My turn.”

  She palmed his knee. His skin was intriguingly warm, roughed with the dark hairs that tickled her palms as she slid her hands upward, against the grain. He seemed to glow from within, his natural skin coloring striking in contrast to the deep red of his hair. Lighter at his hips where the sun didn’t touch, but still a tempting golden brown. Her fingers glided over the firm flesh, heading toward that lighter zone, memorizing each curve, each indent, learning the flow of muscle from thin to wide, tight to smooth. Fingers splayed, exerting just enough pressure to create a slight resistance, she climbed the heavily muscled stretch until she reached his hips. She dallied a minute in the indentation where hip met thigh, curling her fingers into the thicker patch of hair there, catching a few strands with a crook of her finger, giving them a gentle tug. His groan was music to her ears. The slight tinge of color beneath his tan on his high cheekbones, a badge of honor. He was enjoying this. A touch of confidence blended with her determination. She slid her palms in until her thumbs met the thick column of his cock. He flinched and his eyes narrowed. She smiled into his gaze as she slowly, delicately continued her journey, this time using his cock as a guide. His eyelids lowered further, shadowing his eyes as he hummed deep in his throat.

  “You can keep that up all night.”

  She just might. “I wasn’t aware I was asking permission.”

  His “Just making a suggestion” was a sexy husk of contentment couched within a rumble of laughter.

  She pinched his cock in retaliation, dragging a purely primitive hiss past his control. The sound wove through her uncertainty, wrapping around her confidence, giving it strength. Enjoyment replaced unease. His rock-hard shaft bounced on his belly as her nails caught under the flared head. As she watched, a bead of come appeared at the tip. She leaned forward, letting him see her tongue, her intent, long before she reached her destination. With a long, lazy swipe, she took that proof of her success into herself, letting the broad, mushroom-shaped head pulse against her lips as she savored his flavor. Another bead appeared after the first. She pulled a hair’s breadth back. Just enough to watch it build, blowing her breath across its surface as his big body quivered under her hands. His right hand came into view, deeply tanned with assorted small scars from his wood working crisscrossing the back. His lean fingers grasped his cock down low, angling it up. His other hand cupped the back of her head, urging her closer.

  “I want your mouth, baby.”

  “My name is Sass.”

  He threaded his fingers through her hair and pushed it off her face, meeting her gaze. “I know who you are.”

  “Good.” She needed to know he’d remember her, and she wouldn’t become just a faceless memory of a woman he’d once known.

  “So fierce.” Jacob chuckled, releasing her head to open his hand on her back, his fingers kneading sensuously at the muscles above her shoulder blade. “Why don’t you stop wasting all that intensity on worry and give me your mouth?”

  The bead was bigger now, trembling on the brink of spilling over. “Lech.”

  Pressure from his palm coaxed her closer. “Your lech tonight.”

  She cupped his balls in her hand, as always surprised by their weight and the tight hard feel beneath the softness of their sac. “Yes. Mine.”

  At least for the moment.

  She felt his shiver all along her body as she lapped the come from the tip. An answering shiver echoed inside as she opened her mouth and worked his cock head into her mouth. His fingers on her
back stilled. She sucked lightly, carefully. Another shiver shook him. She sucked harder, ignoring the pumping twitches of his hips, the encouragement of his hand, just sipped at his passion, enjoying the miracle of her own as it flowered right alongside his.

  His curse of “tease” was music to her ears. She gave him a little friction—not much, just the lash of her tongue. Over and over, memorizing his taste, scent, reaction. The impatience she could feel humming under his skin, exploded into action. He dragged her up his body, pulling her thighs over his until she straddled him. She pushed herself up, bracing her palms on his broad shoulders. His skin was damp with exertion, his muscles iron-hard under her palms. His hands on her hips forced her back until her pussy cradled his cock through her panties.

  “You have too many clothes on.”

  She shook her hair out of her eyes, suppressing a moan as the move produced a shimmering pressure where she was most sensitive. “I repeat—lech.”

  His smile let her know he’d heard the catch in her voice. His touch was feather light as he slipped the straps of her bra from her shoulders. “A lech who’d very much like to see you without these sexy pieces of silk.”

  The hunch of her shoulders was instinctive. She’d never let anyone see her naked after the babies were born.

  The sheets rustled as he shook his head. “It won’t work, you know.”

  The scrape of his nail down her spine sent shivers of delight spearing to her core and goose bumps springing across her flesh.

  “What?”

  “Hiding yourself from me.”

  It would if she kept her elbows spread. “I’m not eighteen, Jacob, and—”

  “You’ve had two kids,” he finished for her as he persistently tugged the scrap of lace and silk from her clutches. “I think it’s time you understood, sweetheart, that these imperfections you think you have don’t exist for me.”