Free Lift Me Higher by Kim Shaw Page A

of pleasure.
    “Torie, baby, you’re so beautiful,” Monte said as he stared into her eyes.
    His release came sooner than he’d hoped, in an explosive rupture, and Torie held on to him tightly for the ride. When he was still, Torie slipped from beneath him and stumbled into the bathroom. Monte struggled to control his breathing as he heard her moving around. His eyes were closed when she returned to the bed and he fought to regain his strength. Torie rolled him onto his back and straddled his thighs. Monte’s eyes jerked open when she covered his semistiffness with a warm washcloth. She wiped him down lovingly, before tossing the cloth aside and continuing to massage him with her hands. He responded to her touch, growing thicker with each passing second. This time, Torie did the honors of putting the protection in place, and when she was done, she slid down onto him, moving until he rested snugly within her walls.
    “Do you have any idea what you’re doing to me?” Monte asked in a growl.
    “Do you want me to stop?” Torie teased.
    “Never. I want you to do me until I pass out,” Monte answered.
    Torie rocked her hips slowly, moving back and forth, up and down like a snake. Monte’s thrusts beneath her and his hands cupping her breasts made her feel more desired than she had ever felt in her life. The fine mist that had formed on their bodies turned into a sheen of sweat, a result of the physical workout they were putting each other through. When Torie increased the pace, bucking on top of Monte like a horse thatneeded to be broken, Monte grabbed her hips and held her in place so that she could feel every inch of him. Her climax was a like a dam breaking down, and she showered down on him, triggering his own release.
    Torie collapsed against Monte, and he enveloped her in the crook of his arm. She rested her head against his chest. They lay in the coolness of the room for a long while in silence, allowing their elevated body heat to wane.
    “Baby, I think it’s time for you to meet my boys,” Monte said softly.
    He stroked the side of Torie’s shoulder. She didn’t respond right away, but continued to lay listening to the rhythm of his breathing. Her leg was thrown across his as they lay naked, the sheets and blankets nowhere to be found. It didn’t matter because the heat they had just generated was enough to keep them warm in a blizzard.
    “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea just yet,” Torie said cautiously.
    “What do you mean?” Monte asked.
    “I don’t know, Monte. I just think that maybe we should hold off on that for a while longer,” Torie answered.
    She knew this conversation was coming even before he brought the subject up. He had already made statements about how much she was going to love his boys and how he couldn’t wait for them to meet her. It was just a matter of time before he came right out and asked her. She had practiced in her mind what she would say when the moment arose, but nothing she had come up with sounded right.
    “Wait for what? Look, baby, I know you might be somewhat nervous about meeting them—boys can be a little rough and tumble sometimes—but I promise you, they’re good kids.”
    “I’m sure they’re great kids.”
    “So, what’s the problem?” Monte said.
    He shifted his body, sliding his arm from beneath Torie’s body so that he could lean up on an elbow and look at her.
    “There’s no problem, Monte.”
    Torie tried to keep her voice light, sensing that she’d hit the sensitive area of Monte that she’d been trying to avoid.
    “Well, then, you should come over and have Sunday dinner with us. My mother has been feeling a little better lately. She’s been able to stay up a while longer and take a meal with us some days.”
    “Monte, I’m just not sure we’re at the family-dinner stage. I mean, you and your boys have had a hard time. I’m sure seeing another woman in their home…seated at the same table their mother used to…I