Unexpected Sting Read online

  He sighed. “So, you don’t want me?”

  “No, I do. I am just really nervous about the prospect. You seem very... calm to me. That makes me wary.” She leaned down and unfastened her boots.

  “I could do that, and it would be a lot more fun.” He smiled.

  “Not the first time. Yes, I also look at the last few pages of novels. I read the beginning and the end, and if the end is good, I read everything in between.”

  Arthur looked at her with horror as she dropped her boots to the side. “You are the most horrible type of person.”

  She grinned. “It has been said before.”

  She took his suit jacket off and then loosened his tie. She unbuttoned the onyx studs of his shirt, one by one. When she got to his waistband, she unsnapped the button and pulled his shirt free.

  “You are good at that.”

  “You think so? I practiced on a dressmaker’s dummy.” She flicked him an amused glance.

  He blinked. “You did what?”

  “I wanted to know how things worked, so I figured out how to train myself, so I wouldn’t have to stop to ask questions. It means I had an appearance that I hadn’t quite earned.”

  Stinger opened his cuffs as he looked at her in surprise. “So you really...”

  “A few times in college, just to get the hang of it, and then, it was easier to just manage things on my own, on my schedule.”

  She looked at him, cocked her head, and pressed her hand to the centre of his chest, pushing him back. She then climbed onto the bed and removed his dark shirt, sliding it out and away. She folded the shirt over her arm and then hopped to the floor, nodding to his feet. “Shoes.”

  He sat down and bent to unlace his shoes. She saw the deep groove of muscle in his back and the flex in his chest as he moved, and she swallowed. She wanted to run her tongue along his body and see if the dancing had left sweat on him. Her eyes went wide, and she stepped back.

  Arthur’s head snapped up. “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m sweaty.”

  He chuckled. “Sweat doesn’t bother me, and if this goes as I hope it will, we will be a lot sweatier before too long.”

  She blushed and set his shirt over his jacket draped on the chair. She turned, and his shoes and socks had gone, and he was standing in his trousers.

  “Stiila, come here.” His voice had gone deep and husky.

  She walked over to him, and he gently turned her around before his fingers undid the tiny hook and then lowered the zipper of her dress. It fell forward, and she caught it out of reflex. Stinger deliberately dropped the dress and stepped out of it. She was wearing a silky black slip with lacy panties under, and she turned toward him, sliding the tiny strap off one shoulder and then the other. The slip slid inexorably downward, hanging on the tips of her breasts before it slithered down and got stuck on her hips. Arthur knelt in front of her, and his hands smoothed the silk from her hips.

  He took in her black lace panties and looked her in the eye. “May I?”

  She nodded, and his index fingers and thumbs slid the panties free of her body.

  He smiled. “I am going to keep my pants on for now. I don’t want to speed things up. You might like getting to the last page; I like to work my way through the chapters.”

  He stood and lifted her against him, kissing her deeply. Her senses spun with the added stimulation of his body against hers, skin moving with hers, and the feel of his pounding heart in his chest. She reached out and stroked the skin she could reach. His skin was smooth, and his muscles were hard. It was like leather over stone, and she wanted to keep up the contact.

  Stinger gasped when he turned to set her on the bed. Instead of laying her on her back, he set her on her feet. The position put him within easy reach of her breasts, and he simply leaned forward and flicked her left nipple with his tongue. He looked up at her and said, “If I do anything you don’t like, let me know.”

  “What if I do like it?” She stroked her fingers through his hair.

  He smiled. “I will be listening and watching for clues.”

  She frowned, and he took one of her nipples between his teeth with extreme care. She gasped, and he flicked the tip with his tongue. When he finished that, he sucked lightly at her breast, and she moaned.

  His hands wrapped around her back, holding her close as he went from one breast to the other, and her knees were weak.

  She felt one of his hands moving, and it slowly slid around and between her thighs. She yelped, and her eyes were wide when he moved the finger against her, and it slid in easily. She braced her hands on his shoulders and dug her short nails into his skin as he added a second finger. She gasped, and when he pressed a thumb to her clit, she mewled. The sounds she made had never been more obvious or mortifying.

  He leaned in and kissed her while he moved his digits inside her. His hand on her backside kept her upright against him, and when her body relaxed into his touch, her release flared bright and hot. She moaned low and shuddered against his fingers while her knees buckled and her weight came down on his hand.

  She tried to hold herself up, but the effect of his fingers going so deep was her body’s insistence in pulsing around him in waves. Stinger made a squeak while his fingers curled inside her and moved rapidly over an inner spot that responded to his touch. Fire rippled through her, and she gasped into his mouth, and she mewled as her senses rocketed her up and then launched her into a spasm that twisted her forward, and she pressed her forehead into his shoulder.

  She shook as he slowly eased his fingers out of her and pressed kisses to her temple while murmuring comforting words that she couldn’t hear over the roaring in her ears. She looked up at him; he looked back. He smiled. “Hey, Stiila. How are you doing?”

  She blinked slowly. “I feel like my spine has been replaced with hot honey.”

  He stroked her hair. “Hot honey is a cute pet name.”

  She snorted. “For me or for you?”

  He grinned. “I’ll be hot; you’ll be honey?”

  She swallowed; he looked so terrifyingly cute. He nuzzled her neck and began to move his lips against her neck.

  She felt warmth seeping in through the contact with his mouth, and her eyes widened. She grabbed his hair and wrenched his head back. “What was that?”

  “Protection spell. Just in case.”

  “In case what?”

  He moved fast and pinned her to the bed. “In case you are not as sturdy as you seem.”

  “Stur—” She blinked as he pressed his groin to her thigh. “Oh.”

  Stiila held her breath as he eased her legs apart and moved as he pressed against her. She blushed. “You are going to stain your trousers.”

  He laughed and rocked into her. “That is what the cleaners are for.”

  She arched her back as he rubbed against her, and she bit her lip to stifle the moan that wanted to well up and out.

  He did it again, and she stared up at him while she tried to hold back.

  He moved against her over and over, and she fought to ignore the rising riot in her bloodstream.

  “Stiila, why are you holding back?”

  She slid her hands along his ribs. “Because I want you inside me.”

  He groaned and kissed her. “I don’t have any condoms.”

  She blinked. “That is the holdup?”

  “Yes.”

  She held out her hand and flicked her fingers. “Here you go. I erred on the side of caution for sizing.”

  He looked at the foil packet in front of his eyes. “That is a very specific conjure.”

  “It is a teleport. I spend time at a youth shelter, so condoms are part and parcel of the necessary supplies. I know where the boxes are kept because I brought them.”

  “You encourage teens to have sex?”

  “No, I encourage them to be safe when they are already interacting on that level. Like teaching folks to drive with a seatbelt. It might not allow free movement, and it changes the way you move, bu
t it’s safer.”

  His eyes crinkled in amusement. “That is the exact lecture you give teens?”

  “An abbreviated version. They get a lot more pictures of STDs and medical bills.” She smiled. “I have the slideshow on my phone.”

  “One of the benefits of our kind is the lack of STDs.”

  “Ah, and the minimal birth rate, but I am really not in the mood to test the odds. I don’t think they would be in my favour.” She gave him a serious look. “If you want a giant no, it is brewing right now. I am not ending up pregnant on the first meeting.”

  He took the condom and left her for a moment. She closed her legs as he left the bed, and she curled her legs up, leaning up on her arm and watching him strip. It was definitely something worth watching. There was surprisingly no line on his butt to indicate where he tanned.

  She stared at his groin and smiled as he rolled the condom in place. He was big but to scale, so it was going to be a snug fit, but he would go in. She wanted him in.

  He returned to her, crawling over her and stroking her inner thighs until she invited him in. Arthur ran his hands over her torso, kissed her, and in general, brought her to the excited state she had just been in. Her skin was tingling, her inner thighs were slick, and she was undulating against him with every stroke of his tongue.

  He finally gripped her hip and fitted himself to her. She gasped at the pressure and circled her hips against him. He slipped in, and she inhaled as he eased himself into her with slow thrusts.

  “You are so damned tight.” He gritted his teeth and kept rocking while stroking her clit.

  She breathed shallowly and tried to relax against the tension. “You are too damned big.”

  He pressed against her. “And yet, I am inside you all the way.”

  She looked up at him, and he was sheened with sweat. It seemed like a lot of effort for a few seconds of pleasure.

  Arthur remained still while her body stopped flexing around him, and when he felt it was safe, he started to move. She had to guess that it was his motivation because the lust that had banked, flared, and banked again, rushed forward in a conflagration.

  She was caught by surprise when the aching tension became hard strikes of pleasure that became hoarse cries in her throat and twitching of her limbs. She held onto his arms as he kept moving, which kept the shocks running through her. It took a minute, but fire ripped through her in lesser waves as he advanced and retreated inside her, the slick friction giving her a rush that built her lust instead of soothed it.

  Arthur moved harder and faster and then groaned as he held himself inside her, jerking his hips against her as he shuddered.

  She slid her hands over his arms, and he collapsed on her with another groan. She wrapped her legs around his hips and held him while he recovered. He licked at her neck and then got up, disposing of the condom. Oh. Right. She had given him homework.

  He returned to the bed and turned her on her side, wrapping his arms around her. “Did you just have the one condom?”

  She blinked but summoned another one.

  He murmured, “You might want to bring on half a dozen. Being inside you is now my favourite place to be.”

  She blushed. “It’s a good thing that we both have other places to be today.”

  He whispered, “How about a small nap, just you and me?”

  She yawned. “Just a small one.”

  He lifted her, peeled the bedding back with one arm, and then tucked her into the sheets while he cuddled her again.

  She was going to say something, but she yawned again.

  “Rest, Stinger. You had a really long night.”

  “Stop bragging.”

  He chuckled.

  She heard the rustling of the packets and hoped that he put them somewhere safe. She got the feeling they were going to need them.

  * * * *

  He had been holding her and admiring the texture of her skin and the rapid response of her nipple when his phone went off. Stinger was sleeping soundly as he snuck away to answer the call.

  “Hey, boss.”

  “Arthur, are you going to be in the office today?”

  “I wasn’t planning on it. Why?”

  “I need your signature on the Madison proposal.”

  “I don’t have my computer with me. Can’t Surell put it on?”

  “She’s not in today, and the rest of the admins are occupied. Can you come in for an hour and finish the proposal so we can submit it?”

  “Fine.” He ran his hand through his hair. “I will need to use the staff entrance.”

  “No problem. See you in ten?”

  “Five. I want to get this over with.”

  He used magic to dress himself and created a portal. He would be back before Stinger woke. He had plans for the rest of the day, and they involved that smooth skin of hers and the soft sounds she made. Damn. Just remembering it got him hard.

  He stepped through the portal and opened the door, walking past Mr. Twilight’s assistant’s desk. “Morning, Ms. Orvis.”

  “Morning, Mr. Orion. The proposal is on your desk; if there are any changes, let me know, and I will fix it and reprint it. If it is good to go, sign it, and we will scan it.”

  He nodded. “I will. Thank you.”

  He stomped to his office one floor down and went through the proposal for acquiring a large parcel of land in South America. It was an elf habitat and needed protection.

  When he found the first typo, he winced and opened up the computer that IT had refreshed and pulled the file up. He had hoped that it would be a quick in and out, but that was not the case. Damn.

  He had a thought and sent a query to Orvis. Do you have Stinger’s phone number?

  I am not giving out private information, Mr. Orion.

  He grimaced until a reply came in, I can’t answer it, but ask Meredith. Stinger is one of her cousins.

  He smiled and contacted Meredith. She replied with the number swiftly. Arthur thanked her and tapped out the number.

  * * * *

  Stiila was leaving the florist shop and juggled everything to answer the phone. She didn’t recognize the number, but she thought she knew who it was. “Um, hello?”

  “You aren’t at the hotel anymore.” Arthur’s voice was a growl.

  She smiled. “Nope. I had my nap, and I have things to do. It was nice while it lasted, and thank you again for your help last night.”

  “Are you dismissing me?”

  “No. I wouldn’t dare.” She leaned against the wall next to the display window. “Got called into work?”

  “An acquisition proposal has to be gone over before the offer can be generated. Very boring stuff.”

  “Well, I will leave you to it. I have my own errands to attend to. You have a nice day with your paperwork. You do, literally, have my number. How do you have my number?”

  “Your cousin works here. She was very helpful after Orvis refused to be parted from the information.”

  “Oh. Right. Meredith. Yeah, she would totally do that. Okay. Well, I have to do my running around, so I suppose I will talk to you later.”

  “Stiila, wait.”

  “What?”

  “I want to see you again.”

  She chuckled. “That’s a shocker. I thought you were living the dream here.”

  “Not being in bed with you is a nightmare.”

  She sighed. “And yet, here we are. Well, I have to go visit an old friend, so I will talk to you later.”

  “You are blowing me off?”

  She chuckled. “I never got that far.” There was a weird growl on the other end of the line.

  “You enjoy your proposal, I am going to enjoy visiting a friend, and maybe, we can get back together for dinner or something.”

  He growled at her, and she grinned and disconnected the call.

  She muted her phone for a few hours and wandered over to the nearest cell company and got a new number and sim card. She got into her car and set it to transfer the
contact data to the new card.

  Stinger drove to Nana Baker’s with the huge bouquet as her co-pilot and prepared to spend the rest of the day in mindless work.

  She pulled up at her friend’s house and came out with the armload of flowers. She walked up to the farmhouse and knocked on the door. The older woman with the thick white braid looked at her. “You are late, and you look exhausted.”

  Stinger handed her the bouquet. “Shut up, Nana Baker. Do you have the list?”

  Nana took the bundle of flowers, greenery, and crinkly paper. “You do bring the best flowers, Stinger.”

  “I know. I love you most. Now, the list?”

  Nana Baker lifted her hand, and the list was in her grip. “Here you go, Stinger. Lunch is in ninety minutes.”

  Stinger took the list, nodded. “I will get my belt.”

  “Ladder is in the hall closet.”

  “Yes, Nana.”

  Stinger hugged her and then got to work. She and her mom had lived with Nana Baker for her first ten years when she was growing up. Nana had family, but they were never there, and Nana had travelled to visit them.

  Stinger went to her car and got out her tool belt and steel-toed shoes, as well as her roofing sneakers. All the jobs around Nana’s place were saved up for her, from leaky sinks to loose shingles. She was going to spend the rest of the day driving nails, turning wrenches, and screwing things. It was just the thing to take the aches and pains out of her body and replace them with new ones.

  She started with the outside chores—straightened fences and put in wire fasteners to keep the barbed wire where it was supposed to be.

  Nana brought out a basin and pitcher. Stinger grinned. It was Nana’s way of saying lunch was ready.

  Stinger finished the post, tacked in the extra length, and holstered her hammer, walking back to the house while removing her gloves. She washed her hands and face with the soap provided and noted that there was another car on the side. Nana had a guest.

  She dried her hands and face before stepping up onto the porch. The voices inside were odd. She had never heard Nana use that loving tone on anyone else.