He stripped off the rest of her clothes and the rest of his, the room toasty warm. She was bared to him, her strawberry blond hair draped across his sofa, her smooth, soft skin light against the chocolate velvet and gold-embroidered throw, the red thatch of curly hair between her legs begging him for further exploration, her green eyes smiling as she waited for his touch.

She smiled at him and he sighed. “You’re beautiful. How could I have ever gotten so lucky?”

“I keep asking myself the same question—about my getting lucky with you, of course.”

He chuckled, loving her sense of humor. Then he pulled her legs apart so he could nestle between them and rub his cock against her mound. He smelled the way her pheromones were already stirring, her scent changing from sweetly seductive to hot and enticing. Everything about her was tantalizing—her soft skin, her round breasts, her erect nipples, her tongue-moistened lips open to him. He kissed her, tasting her lips, and licking and nibbling at their sweetness.

She moaned as he rubbed against her feminine folds.

Her legs wrapping around him, she rested her heels against the back of his thighs, her body receptive as she moved against him.

She groaned as he plunged his tongue into her mouth and began stroking her as his cock rubbed between her legs. Feeling her arching against him, as eager to find release as he was, he wanted this to last. She had the most amazing mouth, her tongue just as intriguing as she chased after his, stroking and making him smile. And she smiled right back.

He loved making love to her. He was so glad they hadn’t waited any longer than this because the painful obsession he’d had to get close to her like this, to share of himself as she opened herself up to him, had been strangling him. Now, they were one, and he couldn’t have been more pleased.

His skin was overheated, all because of one little she-wolf, her hot body making his blood sizzle. He kissed her again, loving her lips beneath his, the power of her kisses nearly making him come. Or maybe it was the way her body rubbed against his cock or her heels pressed against the back of his legs or her fingers combed through his hair.

He thought he would get the chance to stroke her clit, but before he had the opportunity to make her come using his fingers, him rubbing his cock against her made her cry out, and he quickly covered her mouth to kiss her long and hard. A little too late.

He slid inside her and felt her muscles contracting, pushing in all the way and slowly pulling out, then plunging deeper, harder. She felt so good wrapped tightly around him, and he leaned down and suckled a nipple. She groaned and lightly scored his back with her fingernails.

“You are so good,” she whispered against his ear as he leaned down to lick her neck.

“Lass,” was all he could get out as he plunged into her, over and over. She rocked against him, gripping his hips with her hands now as if afraid he would leave her before she could come again.

He rubbed and thrust until he felt her spasm around his cock. He couldn’t hold on and released, letting go of the control, pumping into her, emptying his progeny into her womb, adoring her.

“Damn, woman, how we can go from analyzing finances to hot sex…”

She pulled him down for another kiss. “We just love each other’s assets way too much.”

Chapter 19

After lunch, Guthrie had to talk to Ian and Julie about the finances as Calla explained how much she earned and about renting out her place. Other issues came up that afternoon that Guthrie had to deal with and Calla agreed that they would get a fresh start in the morning to move her things. She truly was anxious to get settled permanently at Argent, but Guthrie had the best way of getting rid of her worries, though she hoped no one had noticed that she and he had slipped off to bed so early.

Getting a really late start the next morning, Calla was ready to begin preparing her place to open as a bed-and-breakfast. She was grateful that the MacNeills had helped to pay her parents’ loan off, but she wanted to start earning an income from renting her home as quickly as possible so she could repay the loan to the MacNeills and they could reinvest it. She hated owing money, even if technically her parents owed it. They were a family unit, and that was all that mattered.

She was afraid that Guthrie wouldn’t want to bother with moving-in details this soon. Baird had not been interested in the details of domestic life—which was why they hadn’t discussed her moving in with him. She guessed he’d just assumed she’d take care of it all in due time. But Guthrie?

He was ready to get this done. He actually talked all about it with her—including what she could change in his bedchamber so she’d be comfortable there. She loved that about him and reminded herself not to compare him to Baird again.

“You’re not in any hurry, are you?” she asked, smiling as he rushed her down the stairs.

“The sooner we get you moved over here permanently, the sooner you’re all mine.” He smiled wolfishly at her.

She chuckled. “That sounds awfully possessive.”

“I just don’t want you to feel like you’re having to live in between Argent Castle and your carriage house.”

She truly loved him; he was being so considerate of her.

“As for my office, we can fix it up so that you have plenty of room for your own desk and files or whatever you need.”

“Thanks, I’d love that. On both accounts. You don’t mind if I move my frilly pink curtains into the office, do you?”

Smiling, he looked at her with a raised brow.

She chuckled. “Just teasing. By doing this today, we’ll be home in plenty of time to rest up before the Christmas party tomorrow.” She couldn’t wait. She and Julia had sneaked off to plan the whole affair in secret, clueing in some of the ladies, who would help set up the games, and Cook and her assistants, who would prepare the special treats and meal. Calla had gotten the biggest kick out of hearing Ian cajoling Julia to tell him what all they had in store for the party, but she wouldn’t say.

Guthrie slipped his arm around her waist and kissed her forehead. “I can’t believe you’ve left me out of the loop on the Christmas party.”

She smiled up at him. “Remember, no swordplay.”

He sighed. “I don’t plan on us returning from your house after moving your stuff just so we can rest up a whole lot, either. You haven’t scheduled the celebration too early, have you?”

“Thankfully, Julia wanted it to be a late-afternoon affair.”