Free 03_Cornered Coyote by Dianne Harman Page A

windows. On the opposite side of the room were comfortable looking couches and chairs upholstered in mustard, sienna, and sky blue plaids. Oak tables and brass lamps warmed the room. Piles of art books and magazines covered every square inch of table space. Deeply fatigued, all Maria wanted to do was stretch out on one of the couches and never leave.
    She turned to Jordan, "I'm glad the dining table’s so large. I don't think I’ve ever told you that I'm the oldest of eleven children. When we have my family over for dinner, they'll fill it up."
    Jordan gave her a hug and whispered in her ear, "Yes, we'll definitely have them over for dinner.”
    “Now for the upstairs,” he said. The third floor had two bedrooms at the rear of the house with a huge master bedroom on the front side overlooking the beach and the ocean. Wall to wall bookcases were separated by a king size bed and headboard which had been built between them. The grey tiled master bathroom had a large bathtub with water jets and a separate shower with five jets spaced vertically, a very luxurious arrangement. The color scheme upstairs was the same as downstairs. It was one of the most beautiful homes Maria had ever seen, but other than the profusion of art books, it didn’t look very lived in. She decided the first thing she’d do when she got out of jail was give it a woman’s touch.
    Jordan walked over to her and pulled her close to him. “God, I've missed you," he said, taking her into his arms and kissing her deeply. She put her arms around him and gently began to work her tongue into his moist mouth. He groaned with pleasure, bringing his hands around in front of her and unbuttoning her blouse. She arched her head back as he reached behind her, unzipped her dress and unclasped her bra, letting them both fall to the floor. His mouth worked its way down her throat. One hand gently caressed her nipple as his mouth found her other nipple. "Oh, Jordan, I've missed you so much. This is all I've thought about for weeks."
    Edging her back to the bed, he unloosened his belt and unzipped his pants. He lowered his face to her stomach, covering it with soft butterfly kisses, then took her lace thong in his teeth and pulled it down, exposing the soft velvet black mound between her legs. He could smell her and knew she was wet. Jordan gently spread her legs apart, and teased her clitoris with the tip of his tongue. She arched her back, spasming. “Jordan, Jordan, please, I can’t wait any longer for you. Take me, damn it. Take me now,” she moaned.
    He stepped back, pulled his pants off and gently lowered himself directly into her, thrusting in and out, slowly at first, then faster and faster as he started to lose control. Each stroke brought him closer and closer to the brink. Finally, he couldn’t stand it any longer. "Maria," he said raggedly, "Now! Now! For God’s sake!" Her climax matched his as thoughts of jail, prison, and the future were lost in the overwhelming passion of the moment.
    A few minutes later he rolled off and pulled her to him. They lay there for a long time, holding each other, bodies covered with fine beads of sweat although it was winter in Southern California. "Welcome home, Maria," he whispered. He looked over at her and saw that she was already asleep. Even with all of the bad things that had happened that day, it was the happiest he'd been in a long, long time. It’s so simple, he thought, when I’m with her, I’m complete . All I want is for her to be in my arms like this. As he was drifting off it suddenly struck him that he hadn't used a condom, he’d gone bareback. He swore inwardly and promised it would never happen again.

CHAPTER 13
     
    Maria woke up and looked around the room, trying to figure out where she was. Then it all came back to her. She remembered she was in Jordan's home and the warm and comforting hand resting on her breast was his. The events of the prior day came flooding back to her like a bad nightmare -