He shrugged.

“So you pick what we watch,” he replied lightly. “It’s not that big a deal, Marie.”

He handed over the clicker, giving me a smile that actually reached his eyes. I studied him—this was a new side to Horse and I liked it. He was still a big, tough bad guy (or at least not a good guy, I was pretty sure of that) but he honestly seemed relaxed and ready to let me out of whatever little mind game he was playing.

“Actually, I got a Redbox movie,” I said after a pause. “It’s the new Johnny Depp.”

He smirked but gestured magnanimously toward the screen.

“Pop it in.”

Unexpectedly, watching the movie with him was fun. During a fight scene he told me why it wouldn’t have worked in real life (sort of scary that he knew so much about hand-to-hand combat), but he didn’t tease me or anything during the sex scenes. When it ended we ordered another one on PPV. This time I let him pick, and to his credit he went for a thriller with a touch of romance that looked good to both of us without even pausing to scope out the porn. About halfway through I started getting a little cold, so I got up and grabbed a blanket. I figured I might as well share my ice cream too, so I filled bowls for both of us. When he finished he grabbed the bowls, set them on the table and pulled me across his lap, then sort of rolled over until he could lie back on the couch with me and my blanket on top of him.

I didn’t protest. He felt good, and while one hand rubbed up and down my back slowly, he didn’t cop a feel, which made me feel safe. In fact, I really didn’t want to get up or even acknowledge how much I was enjoying being held.

A man’s arms around me felt good.

In fact, they felt so good I fell asleep.

I woke up in my room, confused. I was in bed with Gary. Why was Gary here? Then I realized the body cradling mine was far too big to be Gary’s and the arm across my stomach had more muscles than my future ex had in his whole body. It also had a black tribal tattoo around the wrist.

That woke me right up.

Horse lay in bed with me. I didn’t have any pants on, just my shirt and panties. No bra. I brushed my leg against his to discover he didn’t have pants either, and I felt his giant, erect penis poking my ass.

“Horse” indeed.

It’s just morning wood, I told myself. He’s probably not even awake.

“Good morning, sweet butt,” he whispered in my ear, the warmth of his breath sending blood straight to my naughty bits. His words annoyed me though. Opting for the safer emotion, annoyance, I tried wrenching away from him. He hardly noticed my attempt, which bugged me even more.

“Don’t call me that,” I muttered sulkily. “Who calls a woman that?”

He laughed, the sound low and warm in my ear.

“You don’t really want to know,” he replied, kissing the back of my neck and reaching down with one hand to press against my stomach. My panties went moist, and I wiggled against his big tool, wondering if I’d lost my mind.

Body and brain fighting for control, winner take all.

“Wait,” I said, brain pulling ahead for the moment. “What do you mean I don’t want to know? I want to know.”

“You don’t want to know,” he repeated. “It doesn’t matter.”

“If it doesn’t matter, why won’t you tell me?”

In answer, he slid his hand lower, catching the hem of my shirt and pulling it up, running the tips of his rough, calloused fingers across my belly. Oh very nice… My brain decided we could talk about the sweet butt thing another time. I squirmed my rear and he flexed his hips, rubbing his now-epic erection against the crack of my ass. His hand moved north, cupping my breast, plucking at the nipple as he kissed the back of my neck.

“Oh shit…” I murmured. “That feels amazing, Horse.”

“Just getting started, babe,” he murmured. He sucked my earlobe into his mouth and I moaned. My brain switched off entirely, ceding control to my body, which wanted him inside me.

Immediately.

I turned and slid down so my back lay flat on the bed, wrapping my hand around his neck and pulling his mouth down to mine. He’d been tender so far, so I didn’t exactly expect what happened next.

He took my mouth hard and fast, rolling on top of me and wedging between my legs. I opened for him and he thrust his tongue in forcefully, plunging it in and out as his hips started grinding against mine. Just two layers of thin fabric separated us as his cock smashed against my clit, almost brutal in intensity. I shivered, lust and desire bursting through me, trying to see if I could lift my hips and move with him. In the process I accidentally pushed against his chest, which he apparently interpreted as me trying to push him away.

Horse pulled away from my mouth and growled, eyes dark with desire and a need so strong I froze. He looked like an animal in heat, a point his hard prick seemed to be determined to impress in its own way.

“I’m in charge here, don’t forget it,” he stated.

I nodded, mesmerized. I didn’t complain as he reared up just enough to rip my shirt up and over my head, taking my arms with it. Instead of pulling it off all the way, he tangled it around my wrists, holding them captive with one strong hand above my head as he slid lower, mouth taking my nipple and sucking it in deep. Sensation exploded through me and I moaned. Loud. Aching emptiness grew between my legs and I imagined him thrusting into my body, stretching me open wide as he took his pleasure.

Horse fumbled at his waist with his free hand, sliding down his boxers. Then he thrust his hips between mine again. Oh shit, that felt so good. Now his cock head pressed right against my slit through my panties instead of stroking the length along my clit. This created a whole new sensation as the thin fabric stretched against the unbearable pressure, actually pushing into my body with the tip of his cock before the fabric stopped up.

I bucked against him, desperate for more.

He pulled his head up from my breast and leaned up and over me, still holding my hands captive. I twisted, aching and raw.

“Fuck me, you’re a hot piece of ass,” he muttered. I closed my eyes, trying to catch him with my hips, whimpering for him to take me.

“Hold your hands over your head or you’ll pay,” he ordered, pinning me with his intense, green gaze.

“Okay,” I said, more than willing to do anything he asked. I hadn’t felt this turned-on in forever, hovering within spitting distance of the Big O in less than five minutes.

It had never been like this with Gary.

Horse let my hands go, sliding lower, rubbing his nose along my belly as I twisted, then his hands caught the sides of my panties and tugged them down. I kicked one foot free, spreading my legs wide. He didn’t hesitate, latching on to my clit with his mouth as he thrust two fingers into me hard. No warning, no preparation, just the rough pads of his fingers attacking my G-spot.

Goddamn. This was better than my special pink vibrator, the one with two heads and the wiggly thing. My body stiffened and I grunted, toes curling. It was right there, just out of reach.

He pulled his mouth away and laughed.

“Knew it’d be like this,” he said. “I can’t wait to get inside, you’re tight as fuck so it might hurt the first time. But I’ll stretch you out a little and then holy fuck, it’s gonna be good. Time to come.”

His mouth came over me again, sucking deep. His fingers starting thrusting in and out and I grunted, muscles trembling as I stiffened. So close. He paused again, but I didn’t open my eyes to see what he was doing. Maybe I should have, it would have given me some warning. When he started fucking me with his fingers again, he found my ass with his other hand. I screamed as he thrust a finger in my back entrance, exploding into his mouth as my back arched off the bed.

It took me a couple minutes to come back to myself.