“Me?” she sputtered.
“Elephants kill more keepers than any other zoo animal. You said it yourself.”
“That was ten years ago, in the days of free contact.”
“Before you started?”
She didn’t answer. The park had been transitioning from free to protected contact the year she got hired. She’d had some close calls. Working with elephants was always risky. They could be incredibly difficult to manage.
The difference between loving wild animals and loving wild people was simple. She took care of the animals from a safe distance, and never crossed the barrier between them. She also didn’t expect them to return her affections or stay by her side. They had to be free of human entanglements.
Romantic relationships were more complicated.
God help a woman who fell for a handsome charmer like Josh. His love would be as all-consuming as his kiss. And he’d leave her with nothing but that cold, empty place inside her.
“You entered a deadly profession, and you love it,” he said.
She crossed her arms over her chest. “So what?”
“I’m not reckless. I’m adventurous, and so are you. You’re making excuses not to go out with me because you’re afraid of the way I make you feel.”
“I feel nothing!”
He closed the distance between them, bracing his hand on the cage wall behind her. “Liar,” he said, directly to her face.
Helena saw red. He thought he could crowd her space and insult her? He was lucky they were in a cage, not muck-filled stables. The fact that he was telling the truth didn’t matter. If she didn’t win this battle, he’d take everything. “I won’t go out with you,” she said, grabbing the front of his shirt. “I’ll never go out with you.”
A muscle in his jaw flexed. He didn’t try to escape from her grasp.
“But I will fuck you,” she said, her lips inches from his. “Just this once.”
He put his hand on her throat, brushing his thumb over the hollow. Her pulse throbbed against his fingertips. “I don’t want to fuck you once. I want to fuck you over and over again, until the end of time.”
“Too bad.”
He was furious enough to say no. She could see it in his flared nostrils and tense mouth. “You’re going to regret this.”
“Why?”
“Because you won’t be able to walk when I’m done with you.”
An illicit thrill raced down her spine. “Maybe I’ll chew you to pieces first.”
“You can try.”
She shut him up with a kiss, relishing the challenge.
His response wasn’t gentle. Helena gasped as he shoved her back against the cage door, taking control. His tongue plunged inside her mouth, plundering her depths. He tasted like whiskey, hot and wild and desperate.
She threaded her fingers through his hair and kissed him back with matching force. She wanted to devour him. Their mouths crushed together, tongues tangling, bodies slamming against perforated metal.
It hurt. So good.
His hands dove under the waistband of her pants, groping her bottom. The novelty panties didn’t cover much. He lifted her against his erection with a low groan. She sucked on his tongue and clutched at his hair, rubbing herself along his rigid length.
He didn’t waste time warming her up. She was already on fire for him, her body screaming for relief. Breaking the kiss, he yanked off his shirt. She removed her tank top, baring her breasts. He cupped both in his big hands, rolling his thumbs over her taut nipples. Her eyes drifted shut and she shuddered, awash with sensation.
He surprised her by dropping to his knees. In one swift motion, he tugged her pants and panties down her thighs. Then he put his open mouth to her. He kissed her sex with the same hunger and urgency as her mouth. He didn’t seem concerned about tenderness or technique. He just ate her avidly, for his own pleasure.
She’d never felt anything like it.
His tongue swept over her clit, warm and wet. She whimpered, widening her stance to encourage him. A little more. Right there. Please.
He could have brought her off with a couple of well-placed licks, but he didn’t. In fact, he paused, placing a tender kiss on her throbbing clit. Then he slid two fingers inside her. In and out, watching her face.
Oh, God.
She braced her hands on the cage behind her, bracing herself. Trembling to come. Again, a flick of his tongue would send her over the edge. Paired with his thrusting fingers, she’d have a screaming orgasm. He didn’t let her.
Removing his fingers, which were shiny with her moisture, he rubbed them over his lips. Then he rose and kissed her mouth again. His cock jutted at the front of his pants, creating an irresistible diversion. When she reached out and squeezed him through the soft fabric, he groaned. Two could play at teasing. Not content to be a passive partner, she sank to her knees and lowered his waistband.
He didn’t protest as she wrapped her hand around the base of his shaft and swirled her tongue around him. She didn’t linger over soft licks or nibbling. Angling the tip into her mouth, she relaxed her throat and took him as deep as she could.
“Fuck,” he panted, fisting his hand in her hair.
She moaned and sucked harder, lost in the delicious act. She liked being on her knees, getting him off, reducing him to incoherency.
He didn’t let her pleasure him for long. Withdrawing from her mouth, he gripped the base of his cock and brushed the slippery head over her parted lips. She flicked her tongue over him, welcoming his release. But he pulled away and brought her to her feet. Framing her face with his hand, he swept his thumb across her wet mouth.
“You could have finished,” she said.
“We just started.”
She felt a flutter of trepidation. Maybe he was serious about using her hard. She couldn’t wait.
He lifted her off her feet and carried her to the exam table, depositing her on the cool surface. Then he stripped her naked and proceeded to explore every inch of her body. She sat with her legs spread and her hands gripping the edge of the table, watching him. He penetrated her with his tongue and fingers, driving her crazy. She made desperate sounds of pleasure as he pinched her nipples and suckled her clit.
He finally brought her to orgasm with a rough hand. Burying two fingers in her slippery sheathe, he alternated between thrusting deep and strumming her clit. She came in a hot rush, her hips bucking, a raw cry wrenching from her lips. He moved his slick fingers from her body to his, coating his penis with her moisture. She couldn’t believe how wet she was. He stroked fast, bracing his free hand on the surface of the table. With a strangled groan, he bent forward, spurting all over her splayed thighs and swollen sex.
Whoa.
He’d just given her the most intense orgasm of her life. She was still humming with sensation when he brought her a clean washcloth. Dampening the towel with bottled water, he wiped himself first. Then he took care of her.
It was risky of him to come on her that way. Not as risky as coming inside her, but not exactly safe. She wasn’t complaining, though—she’d loved it. She was thrilled by his lack of inhibitions, titillated by his touch. He poured a bit of water directly from the bottle, splashing her tingling flesh. She shuddered at the cool trickle of liquid. She felt like a lush tropical flower.
He took a drink from the bottle, contemplating her wet folds. “I’m not done with you.”
She glanced down at the front of his pants. His penis looked heavy and full. She’d like to have it inside her.
“I don’t have any condoms,” he said. “Do you?”
“No.”
“I guess we’ll have to be creative.”
She drank a sip of water, rehydrating. “I’m ready.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
J
OSH WOKE TO
the sound of Helena sneaking away.
He lifted his head and squinted at her retreating form in the early morning light. She had a wool blanket wrapped around her nude body, exposing her pale shoulders. Tiptoeing across the floor, she gathered her belongings with one hand. The blanket fell down to her hips as she bent to pick up her zebra-striped panties. Then she slipped through the door, silent.
Josh knew a walk of shame when he saw one. His stomach clenched with regret. Not because she had a boyfriend, though he wasn’t proud of that fact. His misgivings were more about her mental and emotional state. She’d been a little drunk last night. He’d challenged her to talk about her feelings when she was vulnerable. Instead of agreeing to a date, she’d offered sex. And he’d taken it, thinking with his dick instead of his brain.
Fuck.
She’d shared her body without reservations, letting him do anything he wanted. And he’d wanted quite a lot. He’d brought her off with his mouth and hands more than once. She’d returned the favor, sucking him dry. They’d both been voracious. She was the most responsive partner he’d ever had. But she’d also kept her heart guarded.
He might not get another opportunity to win her over. He’d squandered his time screwing her senseless instead of appealing to her emotions. And in doing so, he’d proved that some of her criticisms were true.
He had a weakness for beautiful women. His scruples about poaching were a joke. Basically, he was a horny bastard. That didn’t mean his feelings for her weren’t genuine. He just had to try harder to convince her that he was more than a good lay. He was a good man, and she could count on him.
He tossed aside the blanket and stood up, stretching his arms over his head. Between the fence repair, the honey-badger attack and their late-night activities, he was sore. He swept his shirt off the floor and put on his boots, not bothering to lace them. Then he went in search of food, coffee and Helena.
He found her in the ladies room. She was standing at the sink, splashing her face with bottled water.
“Morning,” he said, walking into a stall.
She didn’t respond.
He used the facilities quickly and came out, trying to gauge her mood. Her nose was red, as if she’d been crying. He didn’t know what to say. He was sorry, but not
that
sorry. “How do you feel?”
“Like shit,” she said.
“Headache?”
“My whole body aches.”
So did his. He hoped he hadn’t been too rough with her. Judging by her responses, she’d wanted it that way, but he might have overindulged her. “Did I hurt you?”
“No.”
He used her soap and water to wash up. He probably had her scent all over him. She watched him with cool, bloodshot eyes. She looked beautiful and deadly, as if she wanted to murder his face.
God. She was hot.
He took a sip of water, studying her. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“About what?”
“The sex, Helena. The sex we had last night. For hours.”
She grabbed the bottle away from him and strode out of the bathroom, rolling her eyes. “There’s nothing to talk about. It was a mistake.”
He had a rule against getting angry in the morning. It was inspired by years of surfing. Most things weren’t worth losing his temper about, especially not before work. He didn’t rise at dawn to thump his chest like an ape or fight with some jerk-off who dropped in on him. No bad vibes to start the day.
Hakuna matata
.
His no-worries rule flew out the window at her casual dismissal. He followed her to the staff room, watching as she poured water into a cup.
“So that’s it?” he asked, incredulous.
“What do you want, a performance evaluation? You were okay.”
“I was
okay?
”
She nodded, putting the cup in the microwave. “I’ve had better.”
Maybe she had, but he didn’t think so. Not because he was God’s gift to women. He was just a regular guy, though he loved sex and the female body in an almost obsessive way. What had made it special wasn’t his technique, or her enthusiasm. It was more than great chemistry. They’d forged a powerful bond over the past few days.
She was in denial, which meant…she was afraid.
“I haven’t had better,” he said honestly. “You’ve ruined me for other women.”
“Very funny.”
“I’m dead serious.”
“I was drunk.”
He tamped down his temper, with some difficulty. “Were you drunk when you tried to take off my pants in the loading dock?”
Her cheeks stained pink. “I miss Mitch.”
Oh, no, she didn’t. Oh,
hell
no.
“I’m a sexual person, and it’s been a long time.”
“So you used me as a stand-in for your boyfriend,” Josh said, wondering if his head would pop right off his neck. “That’s your story?”
“Didn’t you do the same thing?”
“Fuck no.”
“You’ve never looked at me and thought of Wonder Woman?”
He had, plenty of times. But not last night. “I don’t close my eyes and fantasize about one woman when I’m with another, Helena. What kind of asshole does that? If she’s not worth my full attention, I don’t bother.”
She shrugged, as if she didn’t care either way. When she reached for her cup in the microwave, he gripped her upper arm to stop her. Hot liquid wasn’t a good idea right now. He was furious enough to knock the cup across the room.
“I don’t believe you thought of Mitch once last night,” he said. “I don’t think he fucks you half as good as I did.”
“You didn’t—”
“I did,” he said, interrupting her. “I fucked you hard. And when I put my cock in you, you won’t even remember his name.”
She drew in a sharp breath. “You have no right to act so possessive.”
“You said you were going to break up with him!”
“I said I’d talk to him.”
“And how’s he going to respond to this new development?”
She tried to jerk her arm out of his grasp, but he held tight. She knew as well as he did that her relationship was over. This was all a defensive maneuver, designed to push him away before he got too close.
“You’re using Mitch as a crutch because you’re afraid of getting hurt.”
“If you don’t take your hand off my arm,
you’re
going to get hurt.”
He released her, swearing. “This has nothing to do with Mitch. It’s about you and me. You think I’m not good enough for you.”
She didn’t deny it.
“I can make you happy, Helena. I can take care of you.”