To Bedevil A Beauty (Southern Sanctuary - Book 5) (17 page)

Berry
bit her lip to stop herself from thanking him, it was one thing to be consumed
by need for the man, it was entirely another thing to let him know that fact.
But still, a whimper of relief escaped her as she watched him.  The fire
casting red flickering light over his magnificent body, making his skin look
imminently touchable… lickable.  “Hurry.”  The word fell unbidden
from her lips.

Ramsey
chuffed a laugh.  “You have a train to catch Your Honour?”

Oh,
thank Heavens, he’d finished.  Her hands came up and she grabbed him,
pulling him down.  “No… a rollercoaster.  Now shut up and do me.”

Hell,
he liked this bossy woman.  Capturing her mouth with his, he covered her
body.  His cock coming to rest against the cradle of her slick wet
heat.  He wanted her so much his body ached but a small part of him still
resisted… this was too reminiscent of the faceless, nameless nights with other
women.  The quick wham bam, thank you bad boy, nights.  He, loser
that he was, had to know that Berry wanted him, Ramsey Hughes.
 
That he wasn’t just convenient or a
substitute for another man.  With that in mind, despite what it cost him,
he slid his cock back and forth, teasing her clit with the promise of his hard,
hot length. 

Berry
moaned in protest.  Breaking their kiss to shoot him a glare that would
have boiled a lesser man alive.  Ramsey grinned down at her, knowing she
was pissed off gave him the strength to rock his lower body back and forth
several more times, despite the torture he was inflicting upon them both.

“Please.” 
Berry ground out the word reluctantly between gritted teeth.  Still he
wouldn’t let up on the torment, it was at once divine and vexing beyond
belief.  “Please… Ramsey… please.”

His
name… at last.  He would have howled in triumphant but he was too busy
spreading her thighs wider, issuing a groan of relief as his cock slid deeply
into her tight, heated core.

Berry’s
whole body arched off the floor in delicious relief as he filled her. 
Praise the Goddess, that felt good… then he moved, and her eyes practically
rolled back in her head.  Instantly her legs wrapped around his hips as
she met his next thrust and the one after that.  Please don’t stop, please
don’t stop.  The words sounded like a mantra in her head.  She wanted
this so badly, she was front row centre on the rollercoaster, climbing a peak
of epic proportion. 

Except
the rollercoaster was slowing, why was it slowing?  She grappled with
Ramsey, moaning her disappointment.  Her eyes opening, clashing with his,
there was something in those grey depths, more than just passion… 

“Say
my name Berry.”

“Ramsey.” 
It came out a throaty, low plea.

He
surged forward, deep. 

Oh
yes… yes, she said his name again and again.  “Harder… Ramsey.”

A
new mantra but one that fuelled the rollercoaster as Ramsey gripped her by the
hips and began driving his cock into her with a quick rough pace that wrenched
a sob of gratitude from Berry’s throat.  Her head fell back as she fought
to breath and match his every thrust, wanting him all, wanting him deep. 

She
thought she’d hover on the edge, that it would take a lot to tip her over but
one moment she was climbing, and the next, she’d burst through the barrier,
flung into the sky, her body blown apart, consumed by a wave of pure pleasure. 
She shouted out his name and then he was coming too.  Groaning out her
name under his breath in a gravelly, husky tone that made her feel sexy, wanton
and powerful.

She
managed a smile as he withdrew from her body to collapse next to her on the
carpet.  Only the sounds of their panting to break the sudden
silence. 

Phew,
as she got her breathing under control, sanity began to return to Berry. 
She was lying half naked on the floor in front of a fireplace with Ramsey
Hughes, whom she’d only known for just over a week.  She wasn’t sure
whether to cringe or be empowered.  After all, she was single, he was
single.  It was just sex… hot, mindless, fun sex.  Just like Ramsey
had promised it would be. 

It
didn’t have to mean anything. It certainly didn’t have to signify commitment or
that she’d broken her vow.  She just needed to set very clear,
impenetrable boundaries.  She turned her head to give Ramsey an absent
smile as he draped a throw over the two of them.  And not get attached…
whoa, where had that thought come from?  She had no intention of becoming
attached, dependent, smitten, charmed or an array of other words when it came
to Ramsey Hughes. 

“So? 
Verdict?”  Ramsey swept his hair back off his sweaty forehead, resting his
head back on his folded arm.

“Well
I don’t think I’ll invest in any solar battery shares any time in the near
future.”

Ramsey
chuffed a laugh.  “Maybe you should think about investing in latex
instead?”

Berry
nodded.  “Something to think about.”  She sat up, clutching the throw
to her chest, though why she wasn’t sure, the modesty ship had long since
sailed.

“Hey. 
Where do you think you’re going?”  Ramsey watched her intrigued, careful
to keep his voice moderate and his movements to a minimum so he wouldn’t spook
her.  He’d been hoping for a quiet moment so he could tell her about
Sinclair’s revelation that he might have relatives in the Southern Sanctuary,
but suddenly she’d gone all stiff and skittish.

“Thanks
for… well everything.  I thought I’d grabbed a shower.”  Berry wasn’t
sure if she could take the throw rug with her, logistically, it was a
nightmare.  She either left Ramsey, naked an exposed behind her, or if she
didn’t take the rug, then she kind of left her
behind
naked an exposed, it was a quandary.

“You’re
thanking me?  That makes it sound kind of final.”  Ramsey’s gut was
churning but he fought hard to lie there like he didn’t have a care in the
world.

“It
was just sex, remember.” Berry turned her head to look down at him. 
“No-strings, casual sex.”

“So
you’re not up for round two?”  Ramsey enquired.
 
Damn, this woman was tricky, he was going to
need to be trickier.

Berry
gulped, round two?  The sweat on her skin hadn’t dried from round one and
he was seriously suggesting that he was ready to go again?  That was… Goddess,
she fought not to squirm as arousal flooded her system.  Her eyes shifted
down his frame, oh yes, there was definite movement under the throw rug. 

Damn
her newly awakened libido. She should get up and walk away but… “We’re going to
need some guidelines if we do this.”

“Guidelines?” 
Ramsey’s left eyebrow shot up briefly in query, whilst his fingers itched to
haul Berry back down next to him bodily.  Okay, he’d play her game and
once he knew the rules, he’d bend them or break them when the time came to get
what he wanted.  For now, he just needed to go along with whatever wacky
guidelines Berry pulled out of her perfect, rounded ass.
 
His time would come. 

“We’re
not a couple.  No attachments, no endearments, absolutely no public
displays of affection.  It’s just sex, pure and simple,
safe
sex.”  She looked over at him expectantly.

“You
think I have a problem with that?  I’m a guy.   You’ve just
described the perfect relationship.”

Berry
fought not to frown.  Why did his casual acceptance of the situation upset
her?  “So you agree?” 

Ramsey
couldn’t keep the grin off his face as he threw back the throw rug and rose to
his feet.  Berry looked up in awe at all the hard naked flesh now on
display before her. The man really was ready for round two.  A squeak
issued from her lips as he reached down and hauled her upright and then right
off her feet, fire lifting her over one muscular shoulder.

“Wait….
Ramsey, what are you doing?”  Had that girlish squeal really come from
her?  She squealed again as his large hand came down to swat her on the
butt, even as a shot of surprised delight spiked through her lower body.
 
Hmm, she liked it a little bit rough, who
knew?

Ramsey
turned and strode towards his bedroom, holding on tight to his prize.  She
wanted sex… he’d give her sex.  But with each and every encounter, he
intended to make it harder and harder for her to walk away from him.  It
was too late for no attachments.  He was hooked on Berry Malone. Now he
just had to figure out how to get her to admit that she wanted him too. 

“Ramsey?”

“Round
two, remember.” 

Chapter
Fifteen

Ramsey
nodded at Tanner Bright as he walked through the door of his apartment the next
evening just after eleven.  It had been a hell of a long day. 
“Anything to report?”

Tanner
shook his head.  “Nothing.
 
All
quiet here.  Berry took herself off to bed about thirty minutes ago.”

“Okay,
thanks.”  Ramsey locked and bolted the door behind Tanner before heading
to the kitchen for a glass of water.  Standing at the kitchen counter he
stared unseeingly out passed the balcony at the ink black ocean.

For
all the hours he’d put in today, what had he achieved?  He’d scoured the
reports on all the prison escapees that Cam McKenzie had compiled. 
Granger’s internet search history was interesting, yachts; the man had been
obsessed with them.   That little fact had caught Cam’s attention
days ago and he’d already put out a search on recently stolen watercraft, good man. 
Likewise, Previn Carlyle’s online searches intrigued Ramsey. 

What
was a slick, white collar conman and cellmate to Berry’s ex-husband, doing
researching the Salem witch trials? It had seemed so odd that Ramsey found
himself following up on the sites.
 
Hard
to make progress though when you don’t even know what you are looking
for.  What did catch his attention were a few of the names listed of
settlers leaving the Salem area just after the first trial for witchcraft
commenced.  Bright, Torrent, Dunst, Bennett; they were common enough names
but the weird thing was he’d come across all those surnames at the Southern
Sanctuary.  Maureen Bright, the police station communication’s
officer.  Adelaide Dunst and Margot Torrent; Berry’s aunts.  Matt
Bennett, his deputy.  Bloody hell, he hated all these coincidences piling
up.  He felt like he had a jigsaw in front of him with half the pieces
missing.

The
rest of the day had felt like he was chasing his tail. 

The
pharmacy had finally gotten back to Mac with the inventory of shop-lifted
items; hair dye, razors, stomach antacid, deodorant and a hundred dollar bottle
of men’s perfume.  Sounded like someone had decided it was time for a
makeover.

It
hadn’t helped matters that all day he’d been thinking about Berry.  How
she had slipped out of his bed in the early hours to scurry back to her own
room, because no doubt according to Berry’s strict guidelines, people having
casual sex, didn’t sleep together.  How in the morning, when she’d emerged
looking glam girl gorgeous in a red fitted pencil skirt and matching peplum
jacket with white piping she’d scowled his way, as if daring him to make a
personal comment about her appearance. 

Her
frown had only intensified when she’d noted the amount of toast he’d made,
whoops, clearly she thought he was overstepping the boundary of their agreement
by making her breakfast.  Feigning innocence, he’d proceeded to mow his
way through four pieces of toast, worth the effort when she sent him a look of
peeved annoyance.  Damn, women were contrary creatures.

When
he bumped into her later in the day as he searched for the elusive, too
artistic, district photographer, Timothy, he very deliberately maintained a
respectful five foot distance from her and kept his greeting to an abrupt nod
of acknowledgement and a brief hello.  Well worth the effort of acting
nonchalant, as anger danced and sparkled in her decadent chocolate eyes. 
Seriously, she was the one who’d defined their relationship; he was just busy
trying to remember all her do’s and don’ts. 

He
drank another glass of water before heading to his bedroom. He was in desperate
need of a shower to get the stink of today’s failure off.

*                        
*                     
*

Berry
rolled over and punched her pillow hard as the sound of water running through
the pipes in the wall informed her that Ramsey was taking a shower.  She
knew the moment he’d walked in the apartment door, some sixth sense that he was
home.  She tossed and then she turned.
 
The man had a perfect right to take a shower… get naked… a picture
flashed in her head of beads of water clinging to that broad muscular
chest.  Damn, she hauled back and gave her pillow another solid
punch.  She would not think about Ramsey Hughes, naked or otherwise. 
She would not re-visit their night together… hah, round two her carpet-burned
butt… more like round five. 

It
had taken all her will power to leave his room just before dawn.  For
Goddess sake, she couldn’t afford to sleep next to the man… that had a ring of
permanence to it that didn’t gel with the casual booty-call relationship she’d
decided they were going to have.  Worse than falling asleep, she was
afraid she was going to roll over and demand round six.  So yes, she’d
made a strategic, sensible… very, very quiet retreat.  Yay, she could now
officially be the poster-girl for the modern independent woman.

So
why was she still peeved that he hadn’t said anything about the new outfit
she’d worn that morning?  She’d seen the admiration flare in his eyes, but
he hadn’t said anything, instead he’d just stood there stuffing his face with
more toast than one man could possibly eat.  He hadn’t even offered to
make her coffee.  Which okay, sounded both petulant and a little
contradictory to her guidelines, but offering a person coffee or a spare piece
of toast was just being a good host.

And
then later in the day, when they’d bumped into one another at the High Council
Building, she would swear to the Goddess, the man had grunted hello at her.
Acting like she had cooties or something, jumping back so there was no chance
of them accidently making any physical contact.  Obviously Ramsey intended
to stick very firmly to the guidelines she’d laid out but… but, he didn’t have
to follow them so darn enthusiastically, did he? 

It
wasn’t like she expected him to drool all over her or follow her around like a
puppy dog.  But would a little polite chit chat kill him? An
acknowledgement that what they’d done together the previous night had been
special… wait, what, not special.  She meant hot, fun and convenient.    

Of
course when she’d laid out her guidelines she hadn’t exactly specified how and
when they’d hook up again.  If she were half the independent woman she
pretended to be, she’d strip naked and wander next door to join him in the
shower.  But what about if he took one look at her, yawned and told her he
was too tired.
 
Or worse, that he’d
already had his fill of her and one night together was enough for him.

Berry
kicked out at the sheets, her legs trapped by her long twisted nightie. 
Damn, heaving upwards she yanked the satin material out of the way, stupid
nightie.  More stupid her for putting it on. What had she been
thinking?  If Ramsey caught a glimpse of her in the long silky dark green
nightgown, he’d know for sure she had designs on him.  That she’d worn it
deliberately with him in mind.  Then he’d… what?  Know he had the
upper hand?  Know that she craved his touch?  Know that she didn’t
have a clue what she was doing? 

She
flinched as the shower turned off.
 
Well,
it was too late for plan A, there’d be no brazenly joining him in the
shower.  Turning over she thumped her head down hard on the pillow, so
plan B it was. She’d spend the entire night wide awake, tossing and turning,
thinking about Ramsey sleeping in the next room and not do a damn thing about
it. 

Wait,
what was that sound?  Footsteps?  Oh Merciful Lady.
 
She closed her eyes and desperately tried to
get her breathing under control as the door to her room opened.  She felt
him looming over the bed, damn him and his looming.

“I
know you’re not asleep Berry.”

She
bit back a whimper at the sound of his low gravelly voice, things tightening in
her treacherous lower body.  She flicked her eyes open, confirming his
looming status.  “What do you want?”  Even in the dim light she could
see he was bare-chested and grinning down at her. 

“I
kind of thought that was obvious.”  He dropped his mobile on the bedside
table then unbuttoned his jeans, pushing them fall to the floor.

Berry
swallowed hard.  “I’m too tired to play games… go away.”  She turned
away from him, determined to ignore him.

Ramsey
flung back the covers and climbed in, moving across the mattress until he was
wedged right up against her back, his lips resting against her ear.  “I’ve
been thinking about you all day Berry, us, together.  About how soft your
skin is.”  He trailed a hand down her back.
 
Berry fought hard not to whimper or
squirm.  “How tight and hot you are.  How you scream my name when you
come.”

“I
do not scream.”  Berry insisted as his hand cupped her rear for a moment
before gliding down further still over the silky material of her nightgown.

“Oh
you scream, my ears didn’t stop ringing until lunchtime.”  His fingers
trailed down over her thigh, over the lace hem of her nightgown, coming to rest
on her bare ankle.  “What about you Berry?  Did you think about me
today?”

“No.” 
Berry bit her lip. The heat of his body was practically singeing her back and
that wandering hand of his, what was it doing?

“Liar.” 
Ramsey whispered the word into her ear as his hand now moved up her leg,
pushing the nightie out of the way so that his fingers trailed over her bare
flesh.  “I bet every time you moved today you were reminded of me, sore
muscles, little bruises and I…” His fingers trailed up over her knee and along
her bare inner thigh.  “…distinctly recall kissing better several rug
burns on that perfect ass of yours last night.  Did you think of me every
time you sat down today?”

“No.” 
Berry insisted in a breathy response that she knew was far from convincing as
his fingers delved through the curls between her legs and he pushed two fingers
into her needy core.

“Then
if you weren’t thinking about me Berry… why are you so damn wet?”  He
speared her with a slow deliberate rhythm that had her gasping.  “Open for
me Berry.”

Goddess,
damn the man, she spread her thighs wider, whispering his name as his fingers
delved even deeper inside of her and his thumb moved to play with her
clit.  One of her hands reached back to grip his arm in desperation,
Heavens, if the man stopped, she would kill him.

Ramsey
loved the way Berry was writhing under his touch, it was the sexiest damn thing
he’d ever seen and the pleading little sounds she made and the way she said his
name… damn, it was messing with his own self-control.   “Tomorrow
night I expect to find you waiting for me, naked.”  He growled the words
in her ear.

Berry’s
whole world exploded as she came.  “Ramsey.”  She screamed out his
name, turning her head towards him, his mouth slamming down on hers
demandingly.
 
Throwing back the covers,
he lifted her up positioning her over his thick, ready, rampant cock. 

“Ride
me Berry.  Ride me.”

*                        
*                     
*

It
took a long while for Berry’s splintered mind to return to some sort of
coherent thought pattern.  Her breathing was still coming in rough uneven
pants, her cheek resting against Ramsey’s chest.  The loud rapid beat of
his heart in her ear for some reason bringing a small smile to her lips.

“I
can feel you smiling.”  Ramsey commented softly.  “Pretty pleased
with yourself, aren’t you?”

Berry
didn’t move, she felt so boneless she wasn’t sure she could.  Besides,
lying on top of Ramsey, it felt ridiculously comfortable and… right. 
“Sorry… what was that?  I couldn’t hear you; my ears are still ringing
from your finale roar.”

“So
funny.”  Ramsey trailed a finger slowly up her naked spine, when had they
lost the nightgown?  Damn, he hoped he hadn’t torn it to shreds. 

“Ah,
now there’s the compliment every girl dreams of after sex… you’re so
funny.” 

“You’re
looking for compliments?”  Ramsey enquired idly, his fingers now toying
with the sensitive skin at the back of her neck.

Berry
froze, damn her needy subconscious, swapping compliments and sweet talk was
definitely not part of the whole booty-call casual thing they had going. 
She feigned a yawn.  “Well you should probably head back to your room.”

Beneath
her she felt Ramsey’s chest rumble as he laughed.  “Kicking me out so
soon?  You know…”  His other hand came up to cup her left
buttock.  “I’m a very thorough man… renowned for my attention to detail
and I’m not sure I could sleep tonight until I was absolutely certain that you
were satisfied with my performance.”

“Now
who’s looking for compliments?”  She lifted her head to stare up at him.
In the dimly lit room his eyes look like dark bottomless pools.  “How
about five gold stars for effort and execution?”

“Five,
I’m the man!”

Berry
shook her head in mock bemusement.  “It’s a five out of ten rating system
by the way.  But I do admire a man who happily settles for mediocrity.”

“Mediocrity! 
Mediocrity?”  Ramsey’s fingers danced over the ticklish skin of her ribs,
causing Berry to twist and shout a laughing protest.