Rock Bottom

by Emily Goodwin

  I laugh and pull him on top of me, feeling his cock start to harden. And then his alarm goes off. Groaning, he rolls off me and grabs his phone, turning the alarm off.

  “Can you pretend you’re sick?” I ask when Dean settles back on top of me. I run nails up and down his back.

  “You’re making me seriously consider it.”

  “I know you really can’t,” I say, splaying my fingers over his shoulders. “But I can make you breakfast.”

  “You don’t have to do that.”

  “I know. I want to. I got bacon last night and I really want some.”

  “So making it for me is just a ruse.”

  “Pretty much.” I splay my fingers over his shoulders, missing him already. “How do you like your eggs?”

  “Scrambled.”

  “Me too.” He kisses me once more and pries himself off me, looking for his clothes we discarded somewhere on the floor on the way to my bedroom last night.

  Dean gets in the shower and I get up, pulling on underwear and a fuzzy sweater. I go to the kitchen, loading the dishwasher while breakfast cooks. I’m not a morning person even after years of getting up for early shifts as a nurse. But right now…right now I’m on cloud fucking nine and I never want to come down.

  “Now this is a view I could get used to.”

  I turn, seeing Dean standing in the threshold of the kitchen with only a towel around his waist.

  “Likewise.”

  “I think this needs to be a thing.” Dean comes up behind me, wrapping one arm around my waist. “No pants when you cook.”

  “Can this thing go both ways?” I stir the eggs and set the spatula down, twisting around in Dean’s arms. “You don’t wear pants either?”

  “I don’t think we’d ever eat a damn thing then.” He brings his large hands to my ass, gripping my cheeks. “Well, I’d eat.”

  “I really don’t want you to go to work, and it’s not fair you have to work on the weekend. Especially when I’m not working on the weekend this week. I work every other weekend, in case you were wondering how that works.”

  “That makes sense. And I usually don’t, but with the spring home tour coming up, I’m meeting with the town Board of Trustees.” He makes a face. “It’s going to be fun.”

  “You have lunch to look forward to.” I stand on my toes and kiss him. “And if you’re a good boy, I’ll bring you dessert.”

  Dean gives my ass another squeeze. “You know, I’m suddenly feeling sick. Too sick to go to work.”

  “I know I should be a responsible adult and not encourage this kind of behavior, but dammit, Dean, I want you to play hooky too.”

  “You’re a bad influence, Rory Harris.”

  “I’m the worst.” He brings his head down, pressing his forehead against mine. And then bacon pops and hot oil splatters my butt.

  “Ow!” I yell and jump, hand flying to my bottom. “Maybe cooking with no pants isn’t a good idea,” I laugh.

  “Yeah, that could be dangerous.”

  I flip the bacon once more and grab plates. “How do you take your coffee?”

  “Black.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. Sometimes I’ll add a little sugar.”

  “I don’t like the way coffee tastes. I probably drink more creamer than actual coffee, but I need caffeine. I get a headache if I don’t have at least one cup of coffee in the morning.”

  “You’re addicted.”

  “I have been since my first year of college.”

  “There are worse things to be addicted to.”

  I laugh. “Good point. Now go sit. Breakfast is ready.”

  “I’m sorry,” I say to Lennon, pulling into a parking spot in front of the Dawson Contractors main office. “But that doesn’t mean you didn’t get the job.”

  “I haven’t heard anything,” she repeats. “No request for a second interview. None of my references contacted. Nothing. Ugh. This is the fourth year I’ve been trying to get a principal job.”

  “You will get one, I know it.”

  “I hope so. And I’m super bummed I won’t be by you. It would have been so cool, and I know you don’t like being alone.”

  “I’m totally alone here.”

  “You know what I mean. I’m better than any new friends you could make anyway. Right?”

  “Right,” I laugh. “But I’m kind of dating someone now.”

  “Shut up! When did this happen?”

  “This morning.”

  “Who? Tell me everything!”

  “Remember the hot guy I was supposed to go on a blind date with but ended up sleeping with anyway?”

  She laughs. “How could I forget—no fucking way! You said he wasn’t a relationship kind of guy.”

  “One night with the old Royster and he changed his ways.”

  “Don’t ever refer to yourself as Royster again,” she says. “You sure you’re dating and not reading into casual sex?”

  “Yes. Long story short, he was in Miami and—”

  “What? I need to hear the long story, and why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I didn’t want to make it a thing in case it didn’t turn out to be, well, a thing.” I shut off the Jeep’s engine and unbuckle my seatbelt. I tell Lennon about what happened in Miami and everything that’s transpired since.

  “Go bring your new man his lunch,” she says. “I’ll call in a panic over switching careers later next week, I’m sure.”

  “Don’t quit. You love being a teacher.”

  “Today I didn’t.”

  “It’s Saturday,” I remind her.

  “Exactly my point. Love you, Ror.”

  “Love you, too, Len.” I end the call, check my makeup, and scroll through social media, wasting another few minutes before going into the office.

  Since it’s Saturday, the secretary isn’t sitting at the front desk. I slowly walk down a hall, looking at the names on the doors. Dean’s office is right across from Harold Dawson’s, who I assume is Dean’s father.

  I can hear voices coming from a conference room at the end of the hall, and since the door to Dean’s office is open, I go inside and sit at one of the chairs in front of his desk. I log onto a Dungeons and Dragons message board that I used to frequent and read through the posts. There used to be a thread to find local players. Maybe I’ll find a group who plays around here.

  The meeting disperses, and a few minutes pass before Dean walks down the hall. He’s not headed to his office, but he turns as he passes, looking right in at me. The biggest smile takes over his face when our eyes meet.

  “Rory,” he says, and the man walking next to him looks in too. “Dad, this is Rory. Rory, this is my dad.”

  I get up, and Dean and his father come into the office.

  “It’s nice to meet you,” Mr. Dawson says. “I hope you weren’t waiting long. I didn’t know we had any client meetings this afternoon or else I would have wrapped up that meeting sooner.”

  “Rory isn’t a client, Dad.” Dean strides across the room. “She’s meeting me for lunch because we’re dating.”

  Mr. Dawson’s eyes widen, and he smiles. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Rory. I’m Harold.” He holds out his hand for me to shake.

  “I’m Rory,” I say and internally wince. “Which you already know.”

  Harold chuckles. “Whatever you brought smells delicious.” His eyes go to the cloth shopping bag I set on Dean’s desk. “Enjoy your lunch,” he tells us both. “It was nice to meet you Rory. Maybe I’ll see you again.”

  “You will,” Dean says confidently, and I do my best not to smile like a goon. The beginnings of relationships are always the best, and this time, I don’t have a sense of impending doom like I have with almost every other relationship I’ve had.

  “You weren’t waiting too long, were you?” Dean asks.

  “Not at all. I kept myself busy looking at a D&D site to see if I could find any local players. I’d crash their party. In costume.”

 
“You said you’re a sexy half-elf who wears those degrading slutty leather outfits, right?”

  “Aww, you paid attention.”

  “There was a slight chance of actual role playing. Of course I paid attention.”

  “But you added in the slutty costume part.”

  He tips his head to the side. “I can dream, right?”

  Laughing, I move into his arms. “I wouldn’t have thought Elven warriors were your thing.”

  “If you’re dressed like it, anything is my thing.”

  “I do have a few costumes. I might bust one out tonight if you’re lucky.”

  He laughs and kisses my forehead. “Don’t tease me now.”

  “I take my costuming very seriously.”

  “Wait,” he says and picks up the bag of food. “You were looking for strangers to play D&D with?”

  “Yeah. I haven’t played in a while, and since we talked about it, I’ve been wanting to play again.”

  “I’ll play with you.”

  “Really?”

  “I don’t know how good I’d be. You have to talk in character, right?”

  I narrow my eyes. “Are you sure you haven’t played before?”

  “I haven’t,” he laughs. “But I have seen it played on The Big Bang Theory and I thought it looked kinda fun. I like fantasy-based video games.”

  “You’d probably like it. It takes a few sessions to get acquainted, but it’s not all that hard. We can’t play with just the two of us, though.”

  “Quinn would play. Scarlet probably would too. And if they are, we can get Weston and Archer in with us, and I’m pretty sure Logan would join in as well. I’m not sure about his wife, though, and Owen would be terrible to play with. Wait, you haven’t met them yet, have you?”

  I shake my head. “Logan and Owen are the ones who own the bar, and one of them is married to someone who owns a bakery, right?”

  “Yep. That’s Danielle, Logan’s wife. Owen is married to Charlie. She’s a lawyer.”

  “And they all have kids?”

  “Yeah.”

  “That’s a lot of family to keep track of.”

  “It is,” he agrees. “It’s easier once you can put faces to the names. Well, except Logan and Owen are identical twins.”

  “Just adds to the confusion,” I laugh and look around Dean’s office. “This isn’t what I imagined your office would look like.” Everything is clean and modern. Dean’s college degree is hanging on the wall behind his desk, along with a framed photo of his entire family at Quinn and Archer’s wedding.

  “What did you think it would look like?”

  “I don’t really know. But this is very…very professional.”

  “That’s what I’m trying to go for. We updated the entire building last year. Presentation is important when people come in here, unsure if they want to hire us to take on projects costing hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

  “That is a good point.” I step over to the adjacent wall, looking at black-and-white photos of buildings in various phases of construction. “These are cool.”

  “The first one is my house,” he says.

  I tip my head up, looking at the photo of his house back when it was just the framing. “That’s cool.”

  Dean moves behind me, hand landing on the small of my back. I lean against him, taking my time looking at the rest of the photos.

  “You built that double staircase?” I point to a photo in the middle.

  “Yeah. That’s Quinn and Archer’s house.”

  “Holy shit.”

  “That’s the general reaction.” He slides his hand to the curve of my hip. “Their house is huge.” He points to another photo. “This is Owen and Charlie’s house, and the next few are from the renovation my dad did himself on their current house.”

  “Their house looks amazing.”

  “It’s a century-old farmhouse. It was a dump when we moved in.”

  “I bet it looks gorgeous now.”

  “It’s very nice. You’ll have to see it sometime,” he says, not really thinking as he slides his hand down toward my core. Then he suddenly stops. “Eventually. I’m not saying you need to come meet my parents or anything.”

  He’s getting flustered, and it’s so freaking cute. I turn, wrapping my arms around his shoulders. “I’ve already met your dad, you sister, one sister-in-law, and one brother. Plus, I work with Dr. Jones. Isn’t that like half your family?”

  He smiles. “Pretty much. In that case, do you want to come to dinner with me on Sunday? We always have dinner at my parents’ on Sunday.”

  “I would very much like that.”

  Dean closes the distance between us, hands traveling all over my body. Warmth rushes between my legs and I tighten my arms around his neck. I’m wearing flats today, and stand on toes to kiss him. He tightens his hold on me, and takes a step back, bringing me with him.

  We stumble back together, taking clumsy steps so we don’t have to break apart. Then Dean picks me up, taking me to the opposite side of his office. He shuts the door with his foot and slams me against the wall, kissing me harder than before.

  My legs are fastened around him, and his cock starts to harden against me. I drag one hand down his chest, untucking his shirt. He sets me down and I undo his belt, pulling it through the loops and dropping it on the floor.

  I think we’re alone in the building, but I’m not sure. And right now, I don’t care. I want Dean, and he wants me too. My heart is all fluttery, and I’m fueled with primal desire. I pop the button on Dean’s pants and press my hand over his erection.

  Then I drop to my knees, inching his pants down, and take him in my mouth, flicking my tongue over the sensitive tip of his dick. Dean groans and throws one hand out, bracing himself against the wall. I wrap one hand around his thick shaft, moving it up and down along with my lips, sucking him hard.

  “Fuck,” he pants, reaching down and urging me up. He sidesteps, taking me with him. Then he spins me around and pulls my sweater dress up, exposing my ass.

  He gives it a slap and pushes me down. I grip the edge of his desk, pussy aching to have him inside me. I spread my legs, eyes fluttering shut when he reaches around, fingers slipping inside my panties.

  He strokes my clit, and I’m already so wound up, it doesn’t take long before I’m right there, about ready to come. He plunges his fingers inside me, finding that sweet spot right away, and rubs against it before pulling his fingers out and rubbing my clit again.

  I clamp my hand over my mouth, muffling a moan as I come, knees threatening to buckle. My pussy is still spasming when he pulls my underwear down and lines his cock up with my entrance. Both of his hands go to my waist, and he enters me, moving slow at first and then speeding up his movements.

  I cry out, unable to help myself as Dean fucks me. He brings one hand back between my legs, gently stroking my sensitive clit. I know he’s close, holding off on his own pleasure until I come again.

  Sometimes, the pressure to have an orgasm would ruin the mood for me, but right now, I don’t think I could stop it if I tried. Dean plays my body like an instrument, and only a few minutes later, stars dot my vision and I start to fold over onto Dean’s desk. He wraps a strong arm around me, holding me up as he buries his cock in me. A groan escapes his lips, and he pushes in balls deep, cock pulsing as he comes.

  “Holy shit,” I pant, knowing I’ll fall right to the floor if Dean legs me go. My legs are shaking and my ears are ringing. Dean and I awkwardly sidestep, keeping his cock inside me, until he can reach a box of tissues. I quickly wipe myself clean and pull my underwear up.

  Still panting, I turn, perching on the edge of his desk. “I think this should be a thing too,” I say, still breathless. “Along with cooking naked, I should bring you lunch at least once a week.”

  Dean pulls his pants up and strides over, taking me in his arms. “It’s definitely going to be a thing.”

  Chapter 31

  Dean

  Mom: Who�
�s all coming over tonight? I need to know how much to make.

  Logan: We’ll be there.

  Me: I’ll be there. I’m bringing someone. Don’t be weird.

  Mom: Rory?

  Me: …

  Owen: One-night stand Rory?

  Me: …

  Mom: I don’t need to know these details, boys. And Dad said Rory is a lovely lady. Are you, Charlie, and Olivia coming?

  Owen: Yes. Charlie wants to know what we’re having for dinner.

  Mom sends three emojis: a chicken, an eggplant, and a wedge of cheese.

  Logan: On second thought, we’re not coming over for dinner.

  Mom: Why? Quinn requested I make it.

  Owen: Quinn requested you make chicken dick-cheese?

  Mom: Why on earth would you think that? I’m making chicken with eggplant parmesan.

  “What’s so funny?” Rory asks, coming back into the living room after using the bathroom. It’s Sunday afternoon, and she’s been here since last night. We fell asleep after making love, and when she said she was going to head home and would meet me back here to go to Sunday night dinner, I told her to stay. She has to work in the morning and won’t be staying the night again tonight.

  We’re taking things slow, but I really fucking like where this is headed.

  “Read this.” I hand her my phone and she cracks up. “They’re going to be weird too, just to warn you.”

  She pulls the blankets back up over herself. “Then I’m in good company.” I drop my phone to the floor and put my arm around Rory. We’re watching reruns of the office, and doing nothing together is really fucking nice.

  We both end up falling asleep, waking with just minutes to spare to make it to my parents’ on time. Everyone but Owen, Charlie, and Olivia are here, which is pretty typical.

  “They can be pretty loud,” I forewarn. “Especially the kids.”

  “Yeah, because they’re kids,” she laughs. I take her hand on the way to the house. The dogs all come running, and Rory crouches down, letting them sniff her so they stop barking.

  Everyone but my parents and the kids are crowded around the bar, and a dozen or so whiskey bottles are on the island in front of them. Quinn is sitting on a barstool, looking both nauseous and annoyed she can’t partake in whatever drinking game is going on.