Sweet on Sophie ( (A Red Maple Falls Novel, #11)

by Theresa Paolo

  The timer beeped, and he pulled the casserole out of the oven, placing it on the stovetop. The sides bubbled, so he assumed it was good to go. Sophie still, however, was not back from the bathroom.

  He went to the bathroom and leaned his ear close. The water turned off, and he heard a loud sigh from within. He tapped a knuckle against the wood grain. “Everything okay?”

  “I think that woman used house paint instead of washable paint.” She opened the door, her face a blotchy red mess. “But I think I finally managed to get it all off. I might owe you a towel if the paint doesn’t wash out, though.”

  Drake pressed his lips together, but he couldn’t stop the laugh that slipped out.

  “This is all your fault, I’ll have you know.” She pushed a finger into his chest.

  “My fault? How is this my fault?”

  “You were the one that made us go right to the face painting.”

  “You had promised Charlotte face painting. This”—He circled his finger around her face—“was going to happen regardless.”

  “You might want to text Kristen and tell her if Charlotte wants to get that stuff off, she might need to invest in a power washer and some gasoline.”

  “Nobody is washing Charlotte’s face with gasoline.”

  Sophie held her hands up. “I’m just saying it might come down to that.”

  He laughed. “Kristen texted back. They’re at the park, and Charlotte looks like she’s having a lot of fun.”

  “Good,” Sophie said. “Travis can be a handful, but I think he’s really good for Charlotte. He can be her voice when she’s too afraid to use it and you’re not there.”

  How did she always know the right thing to say? Especially when he didn’t even know it’s exactly what he needed to hear. Knowing that someone else was looking out for Charlotte gave him relief in a way he hadn’t expected.

  Sophie smiled and a speckle of purple paint caught the light. “You missed a spot,” he said, lifting his hand to her cheek. He pressed his palm against the clean, warm skin and rubbed at the stubborn spot by the edge of her eye.

  With her face rubbed raw and not a stitch of makeup left, she was more beautiful than ever. Her lashes fanned down, then up, her eyes lifting until they looked directly at his. A hopeful spark twinkled in the blue of her eyes, and every reason why he shouldn’t kiss her vanished. She loved passion and adventure, and he was ready to show her how much he did, too.

  He lowered his mouth, tilting his head and moving slow, until his lips pressed gently against hers. She sucked in a tiny gasp before her lips yielded to his. They moved in sync, slow at first and picking up speed. Her hands shot up into his hair, tugging and pulling him close. He spun her around, pinning her against the wall, tongues tangling, teeth clashing and lips nipping at each other.

  Desire raged hot through his veins, engulfing him in an inferno of need. His hand roamed down the side of her body, following the curve of her ass and hiking her leg up to his waist. Her body arched, pressing into his growing erection.

  This sweet and innocent teacher was also a fiery siren like he predicted, and he couldn’t get enough of her mouth. He swiped his tongue along her plump bottom lip, then continued a path of kisses down her neck and back.

  A moan sounded in her throat, and his body shook with the overwhelming urge to strip her bare. Her hand slammed into his chest, and he expected her fingers to curl into his shirt and pull him close, but instead she pushed him away.

  Chapter 16

  He rejected her once, and she knew that he had the ability to break her heart. She wanted to believe that he wouldn’t, but she’d put all her hope in him before only to be disappointed. She was convenient right now, here when he needed her, but what happened when he didn’t need her. Would he just go back to being indifferent, acting as if spending time with her was an inconvenience?

  She was looking for a partner, for her happily ever after, just like her friends. Sarah and Kristen were both so happy, and she wanted that. She wanted a man who loved her and wanted a future. She wouldn’t waste time on someone who was using her to pass time. While she wanted to keep kissing him, she just couldn’t let herself fall into the imaginary fairy tale again.

  With a strength she didn’t know she possessed; she pushed off of him. “I’m sorry. I can’t do this.” She hurried away before she could see the look in his eyes and change her mind. Strength was what she needed, and she relied on that as she grabbed her bag and hurried out the door.

  She never should have come back with him. Never should have led him on when she knew she was too afraid to allow anything to happen between them. She’d let this go too far, and once again, the only person to blame was herself.

  She made it halfway down the walk before she heard his footsteps.

  “Sophie, don’t go. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have kissed you. You said you like passion and adventure, and I went for it.”

  “It wasn’t that.”

  “Then what was it? Please tell me so I can make this right.”

  The words were on the tip of her tongue, but when she looked at him, too sexy for his own good, his hair sticking up from her hands tugging at the strands, she bit them back. “I’m sorry,” she murmured and continued to her car.

  It was better this way. Her heart would be intact, and she could go on with her life. Just like she had. Except she hadn’t. In the back of her mind, she always wondered what happened that night. Why did he even agree to go out with her, if he had absolutely no interest in her?

  “No.” Sophie spun on her toe and stormed back to Drake. His eyebrow rose as she came to a stop and jabbed a finger at his chest. “What is this?”

  “What is what?”

  “This.” She wagged her hand between them. “Us.” She exhaled and dropped her hand. “We had our chance. We had a date, and I had such high expectations that night, but we had no chemistry at all. You barely would even look at me. But now… I know when you’re in a room. I don’t even have to see you. I can sense you. When we’re close, it’s like fireworks going off in my body, one brighter and hotter than the last. You have to feel it, too.”

  “I do,” he admitted without hesitation. “That’s why I kissed you.”

  “Why now? It’s been driving me insane. I can’t stop thinking about how bad our first date was. I thought we could be something special, and you completely disregarded me at dinner. You were so rude and so cold. I expected so much more from you and you broke me.”

  He closed his eyes, and when he opened them, he took her hand in his. “My sister and I had been estranged. We hadn’t talked in years. Charlotte’s father was abusive, and there’s only so many times you can try to help a person before it starts affecting you. I made the hard decision to cut ties. Then the night of our date, she had called me to tell me she was diagnosed with cancer. She wanted a second opinion. She wanted me to look over her records, explain things to her a little better. It threw me. All this time had passed, and when she finally reaches out, she’s sick. I wanted to help fix her.”

  Suddenly it all made sense. “The way you acted… distant and disconnected… had nothing to do with me.” Was she that self-absorbed to not realize he had been hurting that night? Maybe if she would have focused on him instead of his disinterest, she would have realized that beneath the good looks and white dress shirt, there was a man who had been hurting.

  He shook his head. “No, and afterward, I was embarrassed and tied up in getting my sister the best care that it was easier to avoid you.”

  “I wish I would’ve known.” She could have been there for him, helped him, brought over a damn casserole. Anything if he would have just been open with her. Then again, they barely knew each other. At that point, all that had been between them was a tiny spark that ignited his courage to ask her out.

  “I wish I would’ve talked to you,” he said. “You have this way of making me think everything will be okay, even when I have my doubts.”

  “Eternally optimistic is wh
at my sister says.”

  “It’s refreshing.”

  He tucked her hair behind her ear, his lips so close yet so far. She’d been so foolish to hold on to that first disaster of a date, thinking that there was no coming back from it. She of all people knew first impressions were never as they seem. She had countless first graders that proved that theory wrong every year.

  People grew and changed. Life would be great one minute and a complicated mess the next. Nothing was ever as it first appeared, and if she would have just asked him sooner. She had wasted so much time because of her own insecurities. But she was done running and hiding from Drake. Her heart was still at risk, but it was a risk she was willing to take.

  “You can kiss me now, and I promise I won’t run away.”

  He moved toward her, his hand cupping her cheek, the warmth spreading through her. “Are you sure, because the last thing I want is you to leave.”

  “I’m not going anywhere. Kiss me.”

  His mouth crashed into hers with a fiery passion that sparked fire within her, spreading and growing with each brush of his lips. A flaming inferno ignited in her core, and she clung to Drake as if he was the rain. The savior in the heated bliss who would bring her relief.

  The ground disappeared from beneath her, Drake’s strong arms holding her against him as he made his way back to the house. He moved with grace and determination, his lips never leaving hers.

  Once inside, he kicked the door shut, pressing her against the frame. She thrust her hands into his hair, holding him closer to her. Their tongues slipped against each other in an erotic dance that had her moving her hips, rubbing against the solid bulge in his pants.

  He broke the kiss on a groan, dragging his lips down her neck, sending a wave of unadulterated pleasure coursing through her veins.

  “Bedroom,” she cried out, not wanting anything to get lost in translation. They spent enough time misreading each other, and she was done. All she wanted was Drake. “Please.” The desperate plea fell from her lips, and his hands dug deeper into her flesh as he turned from the wall and headed through the hall to his bedroom.

  She held on, his lips roaming her heated skin, continuing to spread the wicked flames of his passion.

  He didn’t bother with the lights, stalking toward the bed until her back was against the mattress and he came down on top of her. She reached for the hem of her shirt, ripping it off over her head, and tossing it away from them.

  His kisses moved down her neck, trailing along the satin cup of her bra. “Perfection,” he said before snaking his tongue out and licking the plump flesh. He peeled the cup away, his tongue moving with the movement before it swiped lovingly across her nipple.

  She cried out as pleasure shot through her, consuming her in waves, knocking her farther into ecstasy. His mouth moved across her stomach, lips and tongue dragging along her skin and stopping at the top of her pants.

  Her eyes glanced toward him, the passion fuel fog clearing momentarily as her eyes met his. Dark heat radiated from his gaze and words stuck to her tongue. She nodded, hoping he knew what her mouth couldn’t say.

  He flicked the button of her pants open, and she sighed in relief as he peeled her pants down her legs. The cool air touched her skin, cooling her for only a moment before Drake’s talented mouth moved up her thighs, licking and kissing, sucking the tender flesh.

  A moan rumbled up her throat, but she didn’t bite it back. It flew from her mouth just as Drake’s tongue touched her swollen button. Her hands slammed into the mattress as a shock wave of bliss shot through her body, causing her to jolt at the intensity.

  His mouth moved with skilled precision, sucking and licking the bundle of nerves until her entire body writhed beneath. His strong hand pressed against her bare stomach as he dragged her orgasm out.

  He gave one final kiss to her throbbing clit and made his way up her belly to her mouth. He kissed her with reckless abandon, and though her body was satiated, she needed more. She needed to feel him inside her.

  She yanked at his pants, finding his zipper and yanking on it. “I need you,” she said. “Please.”

  He kissed her harder as she took him in her hand and stroked him. He groaned against her mouth, but she absorbed every vibration, using his pleasure to egg her on. She moved faster, harder, gliding her hand up and down the thick length.

  His body quaked, his lips stalled on hers, and his strong hand clamped on her wrist. “If you don’t stop, this is going to be over a lot quicker than you hope.”

  She bent her head, looking right into the ocean blue of his eyes. “I only hope to bring you pleasure.”

  “And I only hope to bring you pleasure.”

  She continued to stroke him. “You already did.”

  He shook his head. “I was only getting started.”

  Her lips quirked up at his confidence. “Oh really? Then Casanova, don’t make me wait any longer. Ravish me.”

  He reached over, opening the drawer of the night table and pulling out a metallic packet. With his teeth, he ripped the foil straight across. He moved his hand, sliding the condom into place.

  She felt the heavy weight of his cock pressing against her entrance. His lips captured hers in a searing kiss, and he thrust into her.

  Her entire body sparked to life as if she wasn’t whole until that very moment. She shook with the intensity of the feeling, allowing herself to absorb every ricocheting sensation.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, being the complete and total gentleman that he was.

  She wrapped her legs around his waist, urging her foot into his ass. “Don’t stop,” she said, and leaned up, crashing her mouth to his.

  They moved as one—two people completely in sync with each other as if their bodies were meant to be together. His fingers laced with hers, pinning her hand above her head. Relinquishing control, giving her pleasure over to Drake, pushed her toward the edge.

  Tendrils of pleasure shot down her arms, skimming across her body and settled in her core. She arched her body, taking him in deeper, and she held him there for a moment.

  Their eyes met, and she inhaled a jagged breath. The intensity of his gaze and the power of his restraint as he locked in the moment with her was almost too much, yet not enough.

  She lifted up, kissing his mouth and releasing him.

  He pulled back, his lip quirking with a sexy, sinister gleam. He drove into her, her entire body rocking with the movement. Sweet bliss consumed her. Her eyes rolled up as he thrust again and again. The pressure grew and expanded until it exploded. White lights sparked behind her eyes, the world spinning in and out of focus. Her body convulsed as the intense waves pulled her under.

  Drake thrust hard and his body shook at his release. He collapsed beside her, gathering her in his arms. “How was that for ravishing you?”

  Not trusting her body to move, she glanced up at him. “Mission accomplished. I’m completely ravished.”

  ***

  Sophie slept in his arms, but he was too energized to sleep. The memories of sliding into her tight and wet heat. Her walls constricting around his cock should have sucked the life out of him. Instead, it infused him with a new sense of vigor. He wanted to go again. He wanted to watch her tits bounce while she rode him, watch her back arc while he took her from behind, and hear those beautiful sounds of her orgasm over and over again.

  She liked passion and adventure, and he planned on giving her both every chance he got. He stroked her blonde hair off her face, trailing it behind her ear and lingering on the curve of her lobe. Like this, she looked so sweet and innocent, but he knew the temptress that hid beneath. Warmth spread through him, knowing that he was one of only a few that knew this side of her. He would cherish the temptress while provoking her as often as he could.

  He bent down, kissing her cheek and making his way down her neck. She stirred beneath him, and he looked up, catching a sleepy smile spread wide across her face. Her fingers ran through his hair and she turned her head fr
om left to right.

  “Isn’t the man supposed to be the one who is spent after amazing sex?”

  He kissed the soft skin of her stomach and lowered himself to press another kiss beneath that spot. “Usually, but there’s something about you, Sophie Reynolds, that has me desperate for more.”

  She stretched her arms above her head, her body pressing up toward where his mouth lingered. He bent, nipping at her, and she let out a squeak of amusement.

  A low rumble echoed from her stomach. Sophie’s eyes widened, and Drake laughed. “I forgot you were hungry.”

  She shot up straight. “Oh my God, the casserole!”

  “I took in out of the oven before you got out of the bathroom.”

  “Oh thank heavens.” She sunk back into the bed.

  “Come on. You’re going to need your energy. Let’s get you some food.”

  She stood from the bed, her naked body catching his complete attention as she moved around the room. She bent over and he enjoyed the view for a moment before he saw her grabbing clothes.

  “What are you doing?” he asked.

  “Getting dressed.”

  He shook his head. “I’m just going to be taking them off of you again.”

  Crimson spread through her cheeks and across the bridge of her nose. “What if someone stops by?”

  “No one is going to stop by.”

  “I don’t know… you’re running low on casseroles.”

  “Then they can leave it on the doorstop.” He stepped toward her, snaking his hand around her waist and yanking her to him. She came with a stumble, her hands slapping loudly against his chest. He tilted her chin up until he swam into the blue depths of her eyes. “It’s you and me tonight. There’s only one thing that would have me leave, but Kristen texted me another picture. Charlotte looks happier than ever, and she confirmed that she’s having a blast. So now it’s our turn.” He kissed her forehead. “But first, we feed you before your stomach throws another loud fit.”

  Sophie laughed, and oh how he wished he could bottle the sound up for days when the sun didn’t seem to shine as bright. “I’m not going to turn down food.”