Melting the Minerals Read online

  She held up the lantern, found a place on the bathroom counter to set it, and opened the medicine cabinet. She let out a sigh of disappointment when she could find nothing remotely like a condom. And she damned well wasn't going to have intercourse without one. She was pretty sure Trey wouldn't, either. The moment might have been impromptu, but neither of them was stupid.

  A second more intense look into the cabinet produced nothing. Giving up, however, wasn't an option. Devin pulled open a small cabinet drawer on her right and found nothing but some of Trey's shaving supplies. She shoved it closed, and tried the matching drawer on the other side. At first, she came across some odd supplies of makeup. These might have belonged to Trey's ex-wife. The cases of eye shadow, blush and a few other odds and ends were items that had been pushed to the back of the drawer space behind some washcloths. Trey probably didn't even know they were there, given how crowded the drawer had been.

  Devin pulled everything out of the drawer and tossed the contents onto the vanity top. Her hand reached farther into the recess of the space, past the point it would go on the track. When her fingertips found the edge of a box, she quickly grasped the edge and pulled it out.

  "Eureka,” she whispered. There, in her palm, was an entire box of unopened condoms.

  She quickly put the other items back where she'd found them, picked up the lantern and made her way to the stairs. At the top of the stairs, she paused. Trey had moved from the sofa and was lying on the floor near the hearth. The blankets were neatly laid out under him and the coffee table had been moved.

  "I thought it would be warmer down here,” he explained. “By the time I built a fire in the upstairs bedroom and got the space warm enough, it would be another twenty minutes. I don't want to wait that long."

  Revelling in his recuperative powers, Devin slowly descended the stairs. She clasped the blanket around her shoulders with one hand, while holding the lantern aloft with the other hand. The box of condoms was stuck in the waistband of her jeans. As she knelt beside Trey and placed the lantern on the closest end of the coffee table, he pulled the blanket from her shoulders and lifted the one covering his body. Her mouth went dry.

  "You seem to have recovered from that frigid dip in the water quite well,” she whispered. As she spoke, her gaze swept over his solid form down to the flat muscular abdomen and the swollen cock jutting from the thick brown hair between his thighs. “God, you're huge."

  "I wouldn't be except I kept thinking of getting my hands on your breasts again.” He leaned forward and pulled her close. “I don't suppose you found even one condom upstairs? But don't worry. We can do this and stay safe."

  Remembering the blue box stuck in her waistband, Devin retrieved it and shoved it between them. “Eureka! I found this."

  Trey sat up, grabbed the box and stared at it for a moment. “This isn't a brand I use.” He checked the expiration date on the end. “It's a pretty new box."

  "It was in a drawer on the left side of your bathroom sink."

  Trey dropped his head and shook it. “That was Susan's makeup drawer."

  "Susan?"

  "My ex-wife,” he angrily announced. “Seems she didn't miss a trick. These condoms have a spermicidal on them and are a special design. I have to assume she liked the different shape with her lover."

  Devin pushed her hair back with one hand. “God, I'm sorry, Trey. I found some of her makeup upstairs, but I didn't know this wasn't your box."

  He stared into the fire for a few minutes and didn't say a word. Devin sat by him, equally shocked by his announcement as he was to find that Susan had probably had her lover in his home while he was on duty.

  Devin put a hand on his shoulder. “I really am sorry. I shouldn't have gone snooping into your things."

  "Don't be sorry. It's history.” He turned to look at her and the full rounded set of breasts just inches away from his chest. “It's like you said. I can do what I want now. All that's over. Why don't we consider this a coincidental gift from my ex? That is, if you still want to do this."

  "Yeah. I do. And I don't think it's a coincidence that I found that box, either. I don't believe in coincidences. Things happen for a reason. Just like almost everything else that has happened tonight."

  "Maybe you're right, Devin.” He looked her over. “Whatever the reason, we now have all the protection we need. Why don't you get undressed? I want to watch you. So, go slow."

  Devin stood up. Never in her life had she been so bold, but she'd never wanted a man so much. It seemed as though she'd known Trey MacKenzie for a lot longer than just a few hours. And as she slowly kicked off her boots and shed the rest of her clothing, the heat in his eyes made her want to know him even better. Here was a man of substance. He was the kind of man who put his life on the line and cared about others. That marked him as a hero in her book. Not some freaky Lothario like so many she'd met in the academic world. Trey was a real man, with real needs, and wasn't afraid to express them. And Devin had a strange hunch that Trey would never do to a woman what had been done to him. He'd be honest about whatever affair he entered. Honest and intense. And that propensity for heat turned her on.

  Trey stared at her crotch. “A natural blonde."

  She looked down at the blonde curls at the juncture of her thighs and smiled. “My mother's people came from Scandinavia, or so I'm told."

  He lifted the blanket when her knees made contact with the floor. “Keep me warm, Dr. Wallace."

  "I want you more than warm, Sergeant MacKenzie. I want you very, very hot."

  She pushed him onto his back and stretched out next to him. Her right hand splayed over his broad chest while her left reached for the box of condoms he'd dropped. These she sat right next to him.

  "Put one on me,” he softly encouraged.

  "Mmm, not yet. By the time one of those goes on, I want you ready to go off."

  Trey laughed and filled his hands with her round breasts. “You look like you get a lot of exercise."

  "I like to run. It gives me stamina and I'm told I have the legs for it."

  Trey lifted the blanket off their bodies and stared at the two most perfect limbs he'd ever seen on a woman. Her legs were muscular, but lean. Just like the rest of her. “Hey, if you've got the kind of stamina I think you do, then maybe you can keep up with me."

  She grinned and shook back her hair over one shoulder. “Is that just bragging? You do look like you could go the distance. Your body is hard enough. All of you.” She ran both hands over his chest, down his tight abs, to his thighs. Then she grasped his cock with one hand and began to slowly stroke. The box of condoms was sitting by his right shoulder.

  Trey turned his head towards them, gasping as she ran her warm hands over his erection. “Are ... are you ... sure you don't want to put a condom on me. Now?"

  She felt him harden more every second. “Not yet. I want to play first.” She watched him close his eyes and moan either in frustration or satisfaction. She couldn't tell which. “Put your hands up over your head and keep them there."

  "Like this?” he asked, and put his hands under his head.

  "That'll do just fine.” She began to massage the insides of his thighs, sat up and straddled his quadriceps.

  When her head came down and all that soft blonde hair fell over his chest and torso, Trey's hips shot up to meet her lips. She kissed the area just below his navel and worked her way downward. And when her tongue made contact with his erection, she watched his eyes roll back into his head.

  "Dammit, take me. Put a condom on me and take me, Devin."

  "Not yet,” she quietly replied, then moved up his body until his erection was directly between her two breasts. She squeezed them together and began to gently stroke him with them.

  "Holy ... Devin, you're driving me crazy!"

  "Whatever I do to you, I want done to me. It's been a long time since I've been with a man and I don't want you rolling off me the way some do and falling asleep after you're through. I want to be satisf
ied. I don't want to be told how pretty I am when you might not mean it. And I don't want to be told to shut up, either."

  He raised his head. “If that's what other men have done with you, then they need their frickin’ butts kicked. And I'm not going to talk to you about what other men have done with you. I don't want to even hear about other men."

  Satisfied with the vehemence of his response, she sat back. “Okay, then. It's your turn to touch me."

  Trey shot up like a rocket, pushed her backward onto the blankets and covered her body with his. He kissed her hard, then more softly and passionately as she responded. He pressed her breasts together, then brought his hands beneath her body to her back. Her hardened nipples poked against his chest. She wrapped her legs around his waist and returned each kiss as deep as it was given.

  He suddenly sat up and stared at her.

  Devin reached for him. “Don't stop, Trey. Keep going."

  He shook his head. “We're playing, remember? I want you, too. But not before I'm through driving you just as crazy as you've made me.” He ran his hand down between her breasts to her stomach and carefully tangled his fingers into the blonde curls between her legs. Just before he touched her clit, he lifted his hand. And Devin cried out in frustration. He picked up her right hand, spread her thighs with his left hand and placed her fingertips between her legs.

  "Now, play for me. Show me what you like."

  Devin closed her eyes and touched herself. Of course, she was as wet outside as the inside of her body led her to believe. And as the soft hair on his inner thighs brushed against the outer part of hers, the sensation made her tingle with expectation. “Okay, I'm sorry I teased you. Please, Trey. Let's do this."

  "That's what I wanted to hear.” He grabbed the box of condoms, ripped one end open and took out one of the packets. Scooting back, he peeled away the foil and slipped the lubricated circle on his penis. “Help me."

  Devin sat up and did as he asked. She rolled the condom down to the base of his erection while staring into his eyes the entire time. “You're eyes are so damned blue."

  He grinned. “You've said that before. But yours are prettier. Hazel-coloured eyes like yours change colour with whatever you're wearing. Or not wearing, as the case may be.” He looked her over, then placed both his hands on her shoulders and laid her down. “This is for us, and for right now. To hell with the past."

  "To hell with the past,” Devin softly repeated and lay back on the blankets.

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  Chapter Three

  Devin spread her thighs and lifted them as he positioned himself above her.

  Trey took one deep breath, brushed her clit with the end of his shaft until she moaned, then backed up and stroked deeply inside her. It was like having a hot, wet glove wrapped around him. It had been too long that he'd been without a woman. And here was a little fireball ready to do whatever he would. It was as though she'd been delivered to him on this night for this very reason.

  Devin cried out as he moved deeper. There was an extra spiralling shape formed onto the latex condom that felt quite different than anything she was used to. But it provided a full sensation that pushed her to the limit.

  "God, this is sooo good,” Trey croaked as he withdrew, then plunged in again.

  Devin waited until he had stroked into her several times, then put her legs over his shoulders. “Deeper,” she begged.

  "Honey, I've been wanting to see you like this since I got a good look at you in that tight sweater. You'll think I'm some kind of pervert, but that's the way it is.” He balanced himself on one hand, and slipped the other between their bodies to massage her breast. Then he rotated his hips back and forth, stroking her clitoris and stimulating her body in a way he obviously hoped she'd like.

  Devin's back arched. She put her hands around the back of his head and cried out his name.

  "Yeah, I wanted to hear that, too,” Trey whispered. “Cry out, scream, do anything you want. Just tell me when you're going to climax. I don't want you unsatisfied."

  Devin's hands dropped to the blankets beneath their bodies, and she grabbed at the soft material as if it was a lifeline. No man had ever made her feel as if her entire womb were being caressed all the way through. She wasn't sure if it was a combination of his technique, the unique shape of the condom, her desperation, or a combination of all those elements. She just didn't want the sensations to stop.

  Trey pushed into her more rapidly as her body began to thrust against his. Sweat formed on his face, chest, and back, but he kept going. Even the dip in the chilling pond earlier hadn't diminished his need. He closed his eyes for a moment and savoured each swell he pushed past. He clung to every dimension of her and into the sensations of her depth.

  Devin raised her head. “Trey ... I can't ... God..."

  "Okay, baby. Let it happen. Just go with it,” he encouraged.

  Devin bucked against him hard.

  Her movements drove him into a climax that was so long and deep, Trey wondered, while it was happening, if he'd ever have another so intense. But as her movements slowed and he released into the condom, he studied her face and saw what looked like tears in her eyes. He dropped his head, pulled out of her and kissed his way from her midriff up to her neck. Finally, he put his hand under her head, closed his fingers around strands of long blonde hair and kissed her hard.

  Then he kissed her more softly, and softer still. He tasted salt from barely shed tears and smelled some herbal-scented shampoo she'd used to wash her hair. It seemed as if every sensation he had was on overload.

  Devin felt as if she were floating. He didn't just pulled out of her and plop to the side like other men. He ravaged her face, neck, breasts and nipples with small kisses and more demanding ones. Finally, when he stretched out beside her, she was almost asleep.

  "Weren't you saying something about stamina earlier?” he whispered into her ear.

  "I think you have me beat. This time,” she replied.

  Trey watched her fight off the sex-induced sleep, and knew he'd had the best encounter of its kind in his entire life. When Devin's eyes finally closed and she lay against him, he felt an extreme weariness wash over his body. He wondered if he hadn't pushed himself too far, given his encounter with the icy water of the pond. But it was far better to have known what he just had than to have let her walk out of his life without experiencing her.

  He smiled. He considered that he couldn't be seriously injured, given what they'd just done, so he wasn't likely to suffer any ill effects later. And what if he did? As people were so fond of saying ... what a way to go.

  Trey softly laughed at what his friends and neighbours would say. The small Cedar Ridge newspaper would have a great headline. It would read something like, Local Mounted Police Sergeant and Geopalaeontologist found dead, interlocked in lustful abandon ... see page two, Column D.

  Devin woke up with blankets tucked around her, staring into a very warm fire. The heat from the blaze made her feel safe and cozy. When she turned and found Trey gone, she sat up and pushed back her hair. The remains of clothing she'd cut off Trey's body were gone. Her own clothing was neatly folded and lying right beside her, but with one addition. A red flannel shirt lay on top of the pile. Light streaming in from a nearby picture window told her she'd slept until morning. The sound of wind that had circled the cabin in the night had gone.

  "Trey?” she called and reached for the clothes.

  She watched him descend the stairs and reasoned the huge smile on his face indicated he had no regrets at all. She smiled back. He wore jeans and a heavy green sweater with thick socks on his feet. He looked warm, comfortable and ready to hug.

  He sat beside her, pulled her into his embrace and softly kissed her. “I was wondering if you'd ever wake up. It's ten o'clock."

  Her eyes opened wide in surprise. “I don't usually sleep this late.” She tried to reach for her clothes again, but he grabbed the flannel shirt and handed it to her first.
/>   "Wear this. It's mine. And you don't even have to wear your jeans if you don't want to. I'll keep you warm."

  She laughed at the wicked look in his eyes, shook out the folded shirt and checked the size. “I guess you're right. I won't need much else. It's only four sizes too big."

  "Yeah, but it's soft and feels good when I hold you.” He hugged her, then reached inside the blanket draped around her shoulders and squeezed her breast. “This is soft and feels good when I hold it, too."

  She playfully pushed him away. “I don't suppose there's such a thing as hot water?"

  "You're in luck. The electricity is back on for now. I went out earlier and cut off the generator. Not that you would have noticed. I think the snow could have caved in the roof and you wouldn't have woken up.” He paused to push back her hair with both hands. “If you want a shower, I think I saved enough hot water."

  She would have liked to have gotten into that big, luxurious-looking shower with him, but her stomach urged her to seek food as badly as she needed the water's heat. “What's the weather like?” She pulled on the flannel shirt and decided she liked its softness against her nipples.

  "Another bad cold front is moving in tonight. So, we stay put. I called to make sure my guys were all okay, and if there were any reports of missing or injured people. But other than you, everyone seems to have stayed where they should have."

  His tone made her stop buttoning the shirt and look up. “I guess you're thinking it was really crazy of me to have driven here without even a phone to call for help."

  "You didn't even tell your uncle you were coming, so you might have been out there frozen and nobody would know. I wouldn't have found you until at least tomorrow. You realise that, don't you?"

  She put one palm on his chest and nodded. “I'm not usually so impetuous. I have a brain. It's just that I've wanted this job with my uncle for a long time. I couldn't wait to get here."

  "And what were you going to do when you arrived?” He lifted her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes. “You can't do any geological or palaeontology work in the winter."