Maybe they’d just kick back, relax, and watch TV with their picnic. Do a little sightseeing.
She stood on shaky legs, her body knowing what her mind was having trouble accepting, it was time to get back on that horse. Except her horse was a massively large stallion.
~ ~ ~
Vinny drove to Allie’s house the following Friday night pumped for a whole weekend together. This was definitely a step forward in their relationship. He could hardly believe they’d pulled it off with the six kids all staying healthy, no major catastrophes. All of them well cared for and accounted for. His mother-in-law had agreed to watch the boys, and he knew it was mostly because she needed the distraction after her husband’s passing. Of course, it hadn’t been that easy. Loretta had given him the third degree about Allie, agreeing to babysit on the condition that she meet her formally for Sunday dinner to see “what this woman was made of.” Whatever that meant. He’d agreed, sorta. He would’ve said anything to get this weekend with Allie.
Was he looking forward to sex? Absolutely. He already knew they’d be compatible. Their kisses told him everything. Passion was there all right. She was sexy as all hell and he wanted her so badly it hurt. It was so hard to leave her at the end of their dates. Finally he wouldn’t have to. This could only bring them closer. Of course, that would come with different complications. They were both a package deal with the kids and his mother-in-law and…aw, hell. He didn’t want to think about all that. He just wanted to enjoy this rare weekend away with her.
Only the moment she stepped out of her house, dragging a large wheeled suitcase behind her, he knew she wasn’t on the same page. Her entire body radiated tension, her expression pinched.
“Here, lemme get your suitcase,” he said, reaching for it.
“No problem,” she said tersely. “It’s on wheels. I’ve got it.”
He walked with her to his car, loaded her suitcase in the back alongside his duffel bag, and got in the driver’s seat. He turned to her. “Everything okay with the kids?”
She smiled tightly. “They’re fine.”
He tried again, hoping she’d relax now that they were about to have a great weekend. No kids, no worries. “The hotel’s supposed to be a nice place, up north to Mystic, Connecticut, by the beach.”
“Maybe tomorrow we could explore the Mystic Seaport,” she said with zero enthusiasm.
“Sure. Unless we’re busy.” He caught her eye and winked.
She smoothed her hair, her movements jerky.
Oh-kay. He pulled out of the driveway and headed through town. She remained stiff and quiet. He tried a few surefire conversation starters: What’s new? How’s your painting going? What’d you pack for the picnic? All of which she answered in as few words as possible in the most uptight voice he’d ever heard come out of her.
He gave up and stopped talking, putting the radio on instead.
She stared out the window, saying nothing for miles and miles and miles.
Now he was getting tense. He’d been looking forward to this all frigging week, especially after the rough weekend he’d had getting up a bunch of times in the night to take care of Angel. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing.”
“Don’t tell me nothing. Something’s wrong. Just spit it out.”
She scowled. “Don’t tell me what to do.”
He tamped down his temper, trying for a calm voice. “Allie, I was so looking forward to this. You know the last time I got a weekend off from parenting? Never. Not once. It’s all me, all the time.” He took a deep breath, working for patience. “And I get to spend it with you. I thought you were excited too, but all I’m getting from you is tension. Now I ask you again, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing, I just…” She coughed. “It’s just that I’m a little…worked up.”
Finally. Something he could work with. “Worked up about what?”
“Shit. I feel like a complete idiot even mentioning it.”
The fact that she cursed meant it was serious. “Tell me,” he ordered.
“It’s just that I’ve been thinking about you and me together, and then I started worrying…” She trailed off and he waited.
A long tense moment passed with no further explanation.
“What’re you worried about?” he asked with his last shred of patience.
“Are you big everywhere?”
He grinned, thrilled she was exactly on the same page as he was, thinking about his cock. “Whaddya think you get this big hunk of man with a tiny package?”
She fidgeted in her seat. “I don’t know.”
He winked. “Let’s just say you won’t be disappointed.”
“Oh.” She stared out the windshield, and he caught a bright pink blush on her cheeks in the streetlight glow.
“What’s the problem?”
She faced him. “I’m petite and it’s been years for me.”
He reached over and squeezed her hand. “I think you can manage me.”
Her voice was high and reedy. “My boys were C-sections, so everything’s pretty tight, if you know what I mean.”
Oh-kay. “Sounds good to me.”
“I have a nasty scar on my stomach. Fair warning.”
“We all have scars, whether or not they show.”
“Anything you want to warn me about?” she asked.
He passed a slow car and hit the accelerator, eager to get to the hotel. “Like what?”
“I don’t know!”
“Few scars from football and work. Nothing to write home about. I’m just flesh and bones, same as you.”
“You’re much, much bigger than me.”
“Trust me, it’s not gonna be a problem.” He glanced over at her, tense as all hell again. She was so worried about him being big and her being little and tight. Damn, that made him hot just thinking about their joining, so he spoke plainly, directly addressing her sexy concern. “I’ll get you nice and hot and wet, and then I’ll just slide in there.”
“Vinny!” Her hands fluttered in the air, her face bright red.
He backpedaled. “That wasn’t very romantic, right?” He scrambled for something good. “We’ll just do whatever feels right. You tell me if you want me to, ya know, take a hike, take a cold shower. Whatever.”
She stilled. “And you wouldn’t be mad?”
“Nah, not mad.” Disappointed as fuck, but…
“Okay.” She gripped her hands tightly together in her lap and stared at them.
This was going to be a long night.
He hadn’t expected her to be so tense. He’d thought they were pretty comfortable with each other.
“This is my first time in years too,” he said in a teasing voice. “Be gentle with me.”
She laughed a little, still tense.
All right, this was ridiculous. He was not going to pussyfoot around her nerves. TV could wait, picnic could wait. He was going full steam ahead the moment they walked into that hotel room. The more they postponed the inevitable, the more worked up she’d get. They’d said all that needed to be said.
It was going to be down and dirty.
He suspected that was exactly what she needed.
Chapter Eight
Ally waited for Vinny to check them in, pacing the hotel foyer and wondering what the hell was wrong with her. Why couldn’t she relax? Just because she hadn’t been with a man in years. She and William had stopped having sex years before the divorce. She hadn’t cared at the time; now she did because this time with Vinny felt like much more of a big deal than she wanted it to be. The more she told herself to relax, the more nervous she got. And Vinny, he was a big man. Big, big, big. And she was not at all.
And she was so out of practice and her scar had repulsed William and Vinny was acting like this was no big deal at all!
He crossed to her, plastic key card in hand, a small duffel bag over his shoulder. She had a large wheeled suitcase because she couldn’t decide on clothes or shoes. She’d also tucked a
plastic bag with a can of mixed nuts, snack-sized bags of potato chips, and a pack of Oreos for their picnic in her suitcase. Basic minibar stuff at a much cheaper price. She focused on that. A fun picnic was much easier to think about than sex.
“All set,” he said. “Two nights.”
She shouldn’t have agreed to the entire weekend. One night would’ve been plenty. What if they were completely incompatible in bed? What were they going to do the second night?
She lagged behind him on the way to the elevator. He was whistling a cheerful tune. She wanted to smack him. How dare he act so happy when he should be just as worked up as she was. This was a big deal. The first time for both of them in years. Only the second man she’d ever been with, and he’d said she was the second woman for him.
This was a HUGE deal!
She stepped into the elevator with him along with a couple of other people. She stared straight ahead.
“We’re fourth floor,” Vinny told her.
“Mmm-hmm.”
There were five floors. They reached the fourth, and she stepped out first, waiting for him. He held up the key card and gestured in the direction of the room.
“Nice place,” he said as they walked down the thick carpet. “We have a balcony with a view of the garden.”
“Yup,” she said, her lips popping with the sound. Weird. She could barely feel her lips.
He stopped at their hotel door, opened it and took her suitcase from her, bringing their stuff inside. She took a deep breath and followed him in. His broad back was to her as he set the luggage on the far side of the room.
“Are you hungry?” she asked. Her appetite had fled the moment she’d packed her suitcase.
He turned, stalking toward her, towering over her, dark intent in his eyes.
She gulped, backing up a step. “Vinny?”
He didn’t reply, stopping in front of her, his gaze colliding with hers for one hot moment before his arm banded around her waist, pressing her tight against him, his lips crashing down on hers. A hot rush of desire shot through her. His big hand cupped the back of her head, and then he was backing her up against the wall, his mouth hard and demanding, lifting her leg and grinding against her as he plundered her mouth. She ignited, a low moan ripped from her throat, lifting her hips to meet him.
His hands were everywhere at once, cupping her breasts, down her sides, her bottom, never breaking the connection, his mouth devouring hers, and then he lifted her, shifting himself firmly between her legs, and she wrapped her arms and legs around his big body. He ground into her again and hit just the right spot. Her head dropped back, and his mouth went to her neck, his teeth scraping against her. She’d never felt like this before, sensations flooding her, her mind clouded. He sucked on her neck, hard, as he ground against her over and over, the intensity too much, hot and tight. She exploded with a sharp cry, stunned by the rush of it, and then all of her relaxed.
He lifted his head and grinned. “Nice.” He set her on her feet and steadied her for a moment before he stroked a finger down the side of her neck. “You’re gonna have a hickey.”
“My first.”
He flashed a wolfish smile and then yanked off her shirt. His fingers sure and superfast, the bra went next, then her pants. She was too relaxed to care, her eyes nearly closed, drenched in a pleasure far too long denied. Her panties went down next.
He ran his hands down her sides. “Beautiful.”
She looked up at him, all tension gone. “Make love to me.”
His hand slid between her legs, and her knees buckled. He spoke against her lips. “That’s the plan.”
She pulled at his shirt and he stepped back, pulling it off himself. She gazed in awe at his massive muscles, all from physical labor, not sculpted at the gym. From the bulge of his shoulders and biceps to his chest with some dark hair leading down his flat stomach to another bulge in his jeans.
She reached for the button on his jeans. “Take it all off.”
He held her hands in his and gave her a sexy smile. “Not yet. I want to get you off.”
“You did.”
He leaned close, his hand slipping between her legs again. “And I want to do it again.”
She nodded, beyond speech as he stroked her, guiding her back to lean against the wall, his body close enough to feel his heat. He crowded her, but she didn’t feel trapped or too small. She felt glorious, her fingers running through his soft hair. He watched her as he stroked her, learning her by touch. The sensations were like a drug, and she closed her eyes, letting him do as he pleased.
His hand held her jaw, tipping her face up for his kiss. She wrapped both arms around his neck, throwing herself into the kiss with wild abandon. Lips and teeth and tongue, all of it fierce and hot, setting her on fire. He slid thick fingers inside her, and she gasped into his mouth. He shifted his hand, his fingers deep inside her, his calloused thumb stroking back and forth over pleasure central, making her body jerk with the sharp sensations. She tore her mouth away.
He kept stroking, his fingers thrusting slow and deep, making her ache. Hot, she was so hot. His mouth returned to her neck, nipping her. She jolted, her fingernails digging into his shoulders, and he nipped her again, his fingers stretching inside her. She whimpered, the ache too much, and then he was stroking her faster and faster, and the ache faded, all of her coiled and tight. Oh, God, she couldn’t take much more. He kissed her again, thrusting inside her, stroking her, overwhelming her. She cried out, the sound swallowed by his mouth, and came hard, her ears ringing, light headed with it.
He broke the kiss and she panted, trying to catch her breath. His fingers still held her captive, and she throbbed against him. Their gazes collided, and he slid his fingers from her, put one long finger in his mouth, and sucked. She throbbed at the erotic gesture, pulsing with need.
He gave her a wicked smile, his voice deep and rough, scraping against her insides. “Nice and hot and wet. Now I can just slide in there.”
This time the words didn’t intimidate her, they drew her in, her hands reaching up to frame his gorgeous face before kissing him passionately, her hands wandering over all his warm hard muscle, wanting nothing more than their joining. He picked her up, cradled in his arms, and carried her toward the bed.
“Vinny?”
“Yeah.” His voice was husky and so sexy.
Okay, this was going to be awkward, but she was a modern woman who could speak openly about these things. “Do you want more kids? I thought we should talk about that.”
He halted halfway to the bed, staring down at her in his arms. “Do you mean do I want to meet yours or the brand-new kind?” His voice came out in a croak. “Babies?”
“Yes, babies.”
He winced. “I don’t think I could do the baby thing again.”
She laughed a little. “I’m trying to have a talk about birth control. I brought condoms.”
His eyes widened. “You did?”
“Yes,” she said primly. “Why do you sound so surprised?”
“I thought that was my responsibility since I’m the one wearing them.”
“Oh. So you brought them too?”
“Yeah.” He continued walking to the bed.
“I wish I’d known,” she said. “I drove half an hour away to buy them so I wouldn’t run into anyone I know.”
They laughed.
He pulled back the covers and gently set her down. “We good now?”
“How many did you buy?”
“I dunno. A box. I guess twelve in there.”
“I bought twelve too.”
He blew out an exaggerated breath. “Boy, that’s a tall order, but I’ll try.” She must’ve looked as shocked as she felt because then he added, “Kidding!”
He stripped out of his jeans and joined her in the bed, kissing her breathless until she was crazed with need, grabbing his shoulders, pulling him close, eager to join with him. He broke the kiss, ran his thumb over her lower lip and pressed on it, his gaze loc
ked on hers for one sizzling moment. But then instead of kissing her again, he got out of bed. She waited for him to strip out of his boxer briefs, but he turned and walked away.
“Hey!” she protested. “Get back here and finish what you started.”
“Bossy woman,” he teased. “I’m getting a condom.”
“Hurry up!”
He groaned. “First she’s afraid to be with me; now she’s ordering me to fuck her.”
“F-u-u-uck me.”
“The mouth on you.” She could hear the smile in his voice as he dug through his duffel bag. He quickly stripped, his back to her, and she checked him out. Even his ass was muscled, leading to strong muscled legs. Forget Michelangelo’s David, they should make a marble statue of Vinny. He was that beautifully formed.
Finally he turned and strode toward her. “I fucking love it.” Her breath caught at his erection, thick and long. He joined her in the bed, pulling her so they were side by side, stroking down her side as he kissed her.
She grabbed his ass and pulled him tight against her, determined to see this through no matter what. His leg wedged between hers, applying delicious pressure. She shifted to whisper in his ear, “I’m ready. Let’s do this.”
He rolled on top of her, fitting himself between her legs. “You ready, huh? Think you can handle me?”
She swallowed. “I think.”
“Don’t think, love.” He kissed her tenderly as he slowly pushed inside her, her mind latching onto the sweet term of endearment, love, even as she ached, stretching to accommodate his size.
He gazed into her eyes as he pushed deeper. “You okay?”
“Are you all the way in?” she managed.
He stilled. “You can’t tell?”
“It’s a lot, it’s a lot.”
He kissed her, rocking against her, easing in at the same time as he brought her pleasure. She could feel her body tightening with another release even as he pushed her open. She broke the kiss, half out of her mind, needing relief from the pressure, from the tension.
A Valentine's Day Gift (Clover Park, Book 11) Page 7