Page 77 of Puppy Christmas

He needed her. He wanted her. And for right now, he had her.

Ford had no way of knowing how long that moment lasted, which was probably for the best. As he buried himself between her legs, he lost all sense of time and place and self. All that mattered was that Lila never stopped moving. She was an ocean underneath him, a scorching field of lava. She mewled and moaned and thrashed and—just when he thought he couldn’t last another second—screamed on a wave of ecstasy.

He let himself go at the same time, unable to last another second. It was like being pulled into a vortex, all the sensations of his orgasm swirling in and around them both.

The vortex was one he was happy to remain in for as long as he could. So was Lila. With their legs entangled, he braced his arms around her and flipped her on her side. The result was that he nestled against her back, still trapped inside her, still lulled by the soft curves of her body.

“Well,s-h-i-t,” he murmured into her neck. Her hair had formed a fan around them both, the long strands tickling his cheeks and nose.

“S-h-i-t, indeed,” she responded. Her tone was followed by a laugh that robbed it of any formality.

He would have liked to say more—something about how all the waiting had been worth it, about how he’d never be able to look at a princess the same way again—but words were beyond him. For Ford, that was saying something. Healwayshad a response, a joke never far from his lips.

But right here—right now—there was nothing he could do or say that would top the simple joy of having Lila in his arms.

Not that it mattered, anyway. As his heart resumed a normal pattern and the rush of blood left his ears, an unfamiliar sound filled the room. Well—it was unfamiliar to him. Lila recognized it in an instant.

She groaned and released another one of those low laughs. “Talk about terrible timing.”

Ford had begun to trail his hand up and down the curve of her hip, but he stopped as soon as those words left her lips. “What is that?” he asked, his head cocked to listen better. “It almost sounds like…”

“Howling?” She slid out of his grasp, but not before turning and planting a kiss on his lips. It was long and slow and made Ford wish for nothing so much as to pull her into his arms again. And he would have, too, except she added, “That’s because it is. Those little beasts.”

He propped himself up on one elbow and watched as Lila lifted herself out of bed. Before he could do much more than suck in a sharp breath at her breathtaking nudity, she wrapped herself in a floral satin robe that fit her body like liquid. She was beautiful all of the time, but there was something about this relaxed state of semi-undress that undid him.

Life could be like this always.If only…

“Do you mean the puppies actually heard us all the way in here?” he demanded.

“So it would seem.”

“I didn’t know that was a thing. I’ve done a lot of kinky things in my life, but I’ve never made dogs howl before.”

Her dimple appeared as her eyes met his. They were dark with meaning and light with amusement. It was an intoxicating combination. “Me either, but don’t worry—it should only take a second to calm them. Then I’ll be back for all that kissing and cuddling you promised me.”

Kissing, yes. Cuddling,yes.

“And maybe, if you think you can manage it one more time,” she added with her deep, tantalizing laugh, “tof-u-c-k.”