Hot Honey Kisses

  Shep gently nudges me with his knee until I’m standing next to him once again, wild-eyed and shaking.

  He nods at the bed. “Hop on board. I promise it’ll be less traumatic.”

  I do as I’m told, and no sooner do I climb onto the mattress than the petals rise in the air, light as feathers, surreal as a sugar-dipped dream. I spot that tie still dangling from his bedpost from the other night, still firmly secured as if it were waiting patiently for my return.

  “Ha!” I enliven at the sight. “Guess what else I learned this week?” I quickly thread my hands through the loop of the tie and do a little fancy wrist work until I’m bound and determined to be immobilized myself.

  “Whoa.” He warms my bare back with his chest, and I can feel his most prominent feature grazing against my thigh.

  Wow, things just got real, and my heart is doing its best to eject itself. My skin heats twenty degrees, and suddenly I’m rethinking this unflattering angle he’s free to inspect me at from behind.

  “Okay, color me impressed.” He lands a gentle kiss to my temple before moving down in a glorious heated track and nibbling on my ear.

  “Oh yes, that’s nice.” I groan as my head rolls into him. I give my wrists a quick yank, but the restraint I’ve landed myself in only seems to tighten. I give another few yanks, and it feels as if the blood flow to my hands is all but cut off. My fingers begin to thicken with numbness, and my hands swell as the blood pools in them. “I think I have a real problem on my hands—like literally.”

  “You sure do,” he whispers as his body moves over mine from behind, and I’m right back to moaning. There is no better sensation, no more erotic sensation than the feel of skin over skin.

  “No, I mean with this tie. Every time I move, it gets a little tighter. It’s like I’ve turned it into a Japanese yoyo. You’d better do something before I lose more than my virginity tonight—like my fingers.”

  “What?” Shep gives a little hop to further inspect it. “Geez, Serena. I think maybe you’re a little too good with these knots. It takes a special talent to successfully bind the both of us on a single night. If I get on the edge, can you untie me?” He puts in an effort and my fingers struggle to reach his hands balled over his back, but I can’t quite reach. Shep inches up a notch and topples right off the mattress, face-first with a horrific thud.

  “Oh shit!” I yelp. “Shep, are you okay?” I shout as he lies motionless on the floor. Holy hell, I’ve killed him.

  “I’m good,” he grunts, slow to rise to his feet, his hands still securely fettered behind his back. I knew I was good, but I didn’t realize I was damn good. He shakes it off, and I can’t help but note certain parts of him bounce in a few non-discrete locales. “All right, we just—we need a plan—a plan,” he mumbles to himself as he inspects his bedroom.

  Leave it to me to reduce a man to a muttering fool before we do the dirty deed—and not in any good way.

  “Ah”—he strides across the room and turns his back toward the candles—“not going to work.” He picks up the stick lighter he used to ignite the night with. He carries it to me, walking backwards as he hands me the device that’s about the size of a ruler. “Take it from me.”

  “What?” I shriek as my fingers grasp onto it. “What do you want me to do?”

  “I want you to light the tie between my wrists. It’s silk. It should melt like butter, and I’ll pull my arms apart before it can do any damage. I’ll be fine, I promise.”

  “Are you crazy? What kind of an Incredible Hulk move is that? What if I accidentally set your back on fire? What if the flames dip south? Shep, please don’t make me set you on fire and watch you burn. That is not how this night is supposed to end.” There’s a slight whine to my voice, to which I’m usually abhorrent, but in this case the circumstances totally call for it.

  He looks at me from over his shoulder, and those vexing blue eyes look a little more than miffed. “I’m pretty sure it’s not supposed to end with the two of us a little too tied up to pay attention to one another.”

  “Duly noted,” I huff, indignant at the knotty mess I’ve landed us in. I move the lighter into position and begin clicking the trigger until a flame bursts forth like a blowtorch. “Gee—I don’t see anything at all that can go wrong with this scenario.”

  “We’ll laugh later. Do it on three.”

  “Three!” My voice pitches to the ceiling as the fabric ignites, and in less than a second the entire tie is in flames. “OH MY GOD!” I howl so loud my ears spasm.

  Shep roars as he struggles and hops around the room haphazardly.

  “ROLL ONTO THE FLOOR!” I holler until my vocal cords cut out. “Duck and cover! Duck and cover!” I scream at the top of my lungs and, my God, it doesn’t even make sense. “Shep! Shepheeeeerd!” I cry out with all of my might, pulling on my own restraints, just begging them to give an inch, but my hands have gone numb and I’m pretty sure they’re blue or black or whichever color they turn just before they spontaneously fall off. I swear, this entire night is playing out as if Lex had cast a pox on the two of us. I wouldn’t put it past her.

  “Fuck!” Shep barks as he hooks his fiery wrists over the doorknob and dives forward. A horrible cracking sound rips through the room as the door comes off its hinges, wood splintering from top to bottom. And it looks as if Shep’s hands are free as he struggles to stomp out the flames over the hardwood floor. “Shit,” he seethes, leaning against the wall, stark naked, and, crap on a crap cracker—is that blood dripping from his arms?

  “You’re bleeding!”

  He glances up at me without moving his head, and all I see in this dim light are the whites of his eyes. He looks angry, downright pissed, and the way the candlelight flickers against his features, he looks downright sexy as well. Shep has always been too damn hot for his britches. I suppose it’s a good thing he’s not wearing any at the moment. The last thing we need is his pants on fire.

  He gets up, and in less than ten seconds, my hands are free. “You’re hurt.” He pulls them forward and lands a soft kiss to each.

  “Forget about me. Please run your hands under cold water. Let’s get dressed and get you to the emergency room. Did you burn your bottom?” I wince, biting down on my lower lip until I can taste blood. Who knew the night I lose my virginity would start off with a sexual appetizer of blood and gore? I should have figured. This is me we’re talking about. And to think the night is still young—and, apparently, dangerous.

  He examines his hands for a moment and shakes his head. “It’s about as bad as a sunburn. I’ll live.” He brushes the hair off my face a moment. “I’m sorry things have gone sideways.”

  “That’s putting it mildly.”

  “Hang on a second. I think I’d better clean up.” He wiggles his fingers. “And bring us back something to calm our nerves. He takes off, and I can’t help but note he did so in the buff. I hope those living room curtains are drawn or else his neighbors are going to get an eyeful. Damn lucky neighbors, too.

  I crawl under the covers, only to be greeted with more pink petals, and I bask in the lavish feel against my skin. Despite everything that’s gone woefully wrong, there are a lot of things right with this scenario. Rose petals? Check. A plethora of candles? Check. Hotter than a silk tie on fire Shepherd Collins, naked in the next room? Triple-gasm check. It’s going to be fine. Tonight isn’t ending in some horrific catastrophe. It’s going to have a very, very happy ending for both Shep and me.

  The explosive sound of glass breaking comes from the kitchen, followed by a roar.

  “Gah!” I cry out in a fury. “Is everything all right?” It was sort of an obligatory question that I really didn’t need to ask.

  “It’s fine. I’ve got it all under control. Nobody walk barefoot in the kitchen for the next week.”

  “Shep? You’re barefoot!”

  He lets out a riotous yelp. “Thank you for pointing that out.”

  “That’s it. This night is doomed. It’s ending in
flames and broken glass and most likely a meteor that’s bound to crash through the ceiling.”

  “Not true,” he says as he comes through the door with a tray in his slightly swollen hands. Two champagne flutes stand erect, filled to the brim with bubbly, along with a plate full of donuts and a pot of—

  “Ooh, is that honey?”

  “Hot honey,” he corrects. “I knocked over the bourbon while I was heating it.”

  “Great. I guess we can cross bourbon off the list.”

  Shep lands next to me, and the warm scent of his cologne only seems to pull me closer.

  “This is very sweet of you,” I say, picking up a glazed donut and feeding him a bite. The feeling in my fingers isn’t quite back yet, and I can’t help but note Shep and that broad chest, that hard V at his waist that leads to dark, unknowable pastures seems to have the power to make me tingle all over.

  “Yes, well, this night definitely needed a U-turn.” He hands me a glass, and I gingerly take it in the event it decides to snap in two and slice both of our vital arteries in the process. Just my luck, death by trying to lose my virginity. The struggle is real.

  “To us.” He lands a chaste kiss to my shoulder.

  “To us?” I can’t help but marvel at those perfect words. “You do realize you just gave me the warm fuzzies. I think I like us.”

  His brows relax, and his entire face softens as he gazes lovingly at me. “I think I like us, too.”

  “We can be a bit dangerous, though.”

  “And yet extremely fun at the very same time. That’s a neat trick to pull off.”

  “And we’re pulling it off expertly.” I lift my glass, and we quickly drain both flutes. Shep moves the tray to the nightstand and takes me in his warm, strong arms.

  “You still in?” He winces as he gives me the out.

  I nod, trying my best to hide my exuberant smile.

  “Good. Because I’m still in, too.” He smiles at me sweetly before landing a smoldering kiss over my lips that I will feel for the next few years. Shep takes it slow, kissing me softly, thoroughly. Before I know it, gloriously hot honey is dripping from my flesh as Shep works it all through my body. Shep takes his time kissing my arms, my legs, licking the hot honey off the insides of my thighs. He lands that mouth of his in far more delicate places, and I guess it’s proven to be true. It turns out, I’ve saved all of my gasms for him.

  Shep has me gripping the sheets, writhing over this petal-strewn bed in agony and ecstasy, groaning, moaning, calling out his name as if the entire house were on fire. Then slowly, ever so carefully, he’s in me, his eyes pinned to mine the entire time as if keeping track of my pain ratio. But I manage a smile and so does he ever so slightly. Shep leads us both where we need to be, to a beautiful place that I had only dreamed Shep would one day take me.

  This is every dream and fantasy come true—with just a dash of a nightmare thrown in for good measure. Shep and I have crested the horizon and have landed on the other side of this magical paradise. I’ve given Shep my all, my most special gift. I’ve given Shepherd Collins all of me—including my once frozen heart.

  Shepherd

  Somewhere deep in a delicious dream that stars Serena in more than one compromising position as most dreams do for me, I hear an audible moan, decidedly female, decidedly not mine. My lids fly open just as last night and every last scrumptious bite of this girl comes barreling back to me. I pull Serena in close, my morning glory already saluting her.

  My skin heats over hers as I bury a kiss over her neck, taking in the jasmine scent of her fiery red hair. Serena lived up to her feisty reputation in every which way, all night long.

  “Shep?” She stretches to life. Her voice sounds raw, and I’d like to think it was from screaming until all hours of the night, but more likely it’s simply an indicator she’s still exhausted. “Did you light a firecracker and set it in my vagina while I was sleeping?”

  “What?” I inch back to examine her, eyes still sealed closed. Those inch-long lashes have the power to grind my insides all on their own. “No.”

  “Okay. Just checking.” Serena stretches like a cat, pressing her bottom into my lap, and that’s about all I can take.

  “Are you up for round two?”

  She spins into me, a smile edging on her face as her lids flutter open. “Oh, hon, round two happened about twelve hours ago. I know you’re not that bad at math.” Those lawn green eyes look up at me, and she winces. “How about we hold off on round forty-two and I make you breakfast instead?”

  “I hurt you.” Now it’s me wincing. “I’m sorry.”

  “No, not your fault. You were blessed with extremely generous genes.” Her milky teeth graze over her ruby red lip, and I can’t help but give a quick chuckle.

  “Don’t move.” I plant a kiss over her cheek. “I’ll get us some sustenance.” I toss on my boxers and head to the kitchen—careful not to step on any glass scattered around the floor from the night before—grab the donuts, pour some O.J. into a pair of champagne flutes, and head on back. “I would have made coffee, but I have a dark confession,” I say as I step back into the room.

  Serena pulls the sheets around her chest, pinning them under her arms, and takes the box of sweet treats from me. “And here I thought I knew all about your dark bondage secrets. Does this new revelation involve soft restraints?”

  “No, it involves the fact I don’t own a coffee maker. I’ll take you to Hallowed Grounds sometime soon to make up for it.”

  She takes a glass from me as I settle next to her. “Thank you. Soon is good, but not this weekend. I’m booked until Monday morning, and so are you.” She gives a hard wink.

  “Good.” My arm finds its way around her waist as she gives me a bite of her donut, pink with sprinkles—Serena’s selection last night. “Tell me how you’re feeling.”

  “Why? Did my psychiatrist call in sick?”

  I give her ribs a quick pinch, and she bucks. “Do you ever have a serious moment?”

  “Of course, I do. In fact, while you were donut diving in the kitchen, I had quite the pensive thought.”

  “About?” I sneak a bite from her donut, and she makes a face.

  “For your information, I found a flower petal milling around my lady parts. How many of those do you think you crammed in me last night, anyway? What if they’re stuck up there?”

  “You’ll grow a rosebush?”

  She swats me on the arm. “With my luck, it will be all thorns. In fact, I think it’s already climbing through my bowels. Well played, Collins. Well played.”

  “Anything to get a rise out of you, sweetie.”

  She grunts in lieu of a response.

  I rub my arm up and down her waist. “I’m serious. I like that we banter. I like that you have always felt comfortable enough to go at me full blast.” I bury a kiss over the top of her head. “But I want you to know that I completely understand that what we did—”

  She tucks her finger over my lips and bats those lashes at me. “What we’re doing. Present tense. It’s still happening.”

  “Yes.” A dark laugh strums from me. “What we’re doing—is serious. And just like you don’t hold back the sarcasm, I want you to know that I can handle the tough stuff, too. So if you ever want to talk about it, discuss it in any way, just know I’m an open door.”

  “Yes, Dad.” Serena doesn’t miss a beat.

  Her eyes bear hard into mine, and the moment grows serious between us. There’s something she’s holding back, something skirting around the edges of her mind like a fickle housecat. I’ve known Serena long enough to read her like an old familiar book.

  “What’s on your mind? Is it the case?”

  “The case?” She inches back as if it were the furthest thing from her mind. “Oh, right. That’s been on my mind for sure.”

  “Has anything else happened? You’re not holding anything back, are you?”

  Her lips purse, and that, right there, is my answer.

  “
Serena, what is it? Does it have to do with that combination?”

  Her mouth opens and closes. “I don’t know. It’s stupid. The morning of the wedding, I was confronted by that guy who was sitting with Barry the night of the murder.”

  “Confronted?” I set my drink down and pull her onto my lap. “Did this guy hunt you down at school or something?” My adrenaline skyrockets at the thought. “If he touched you, I’m going to have to kill him.” The frightening part is, I’m not so sure I’m kidding.

  “No, actually”—she grimaces—“he kind of did, but it wasn’t like that. I was at the Black Bear, and he sort of grabbed my arm and cornered me.”

  “He’s a dead man. Did he say anything?”

  She averts her eyes. “He asked if I had something that didn’t belong to me.”

  “Serena, this guy accosted you over a week ago. Did you tell Marlin? Never mind. I think I know the answer to that.”

  She gives a guilty shrug. Her entire body adheres to mine as she sets her own drink down. “I told you. Besides, I was sort of a little distracted this last week, if you didn’t notice. I had a very big life event coming up—came up.” She giggles over my chest as her fingers walk their way to my chin. “And that was way more important to me. Besides, I played dumb with the guy. And before he took off, he apologized, so I don’t think I’ll have any more problems from him anymore. Besides, Marlin took a picture of the combination, so there’s that. My work is done.”

  “My work is far from done.” I knock my head gently on the headboard. “Serena, there’s a killer out there somewhere. You and I are the only viable suspects the police have, and we know we didn’t do it. And now you tell me this? What was his name?”

  “I didn’t think to ask, but honestly, I got such a weird vibe from him, I just wanted him out of my airspace.”

  “I get it.” I wrap both my arms around her and land a lingering kiss to her lips. “You did the right thing. Safety first. In fact, I don’t think you should go anywhere alone until we catch the guy who did this.”