“So whatta you think about this new kid the Rays called up from Triple A, Meatball? His fastball is awesome, but I think his slider needs some work. Not sure if we got the better end of that trade last year or not. Time will tell.”
Chet heard Meat make a funny sound, which was like a cross between a groan and him trying to speak. She bit her lip when Tuff responded. “What’s that? Oh, yeah, Vickars is definitely in a major hitting slump right now, but Flitch’s and Bentley’s bats have been hot lately, so they’ve been saving his ass. Hopefully, Taniguchi comes off the D.L. soon, though—we need him back in center field.”
Despite everything that had happened earlier, Chet couldn’t help but smile and giggle softly at Tuff’s conversation with the big pit bull. Before she could make her presence known, the doorbell rang, and Meat started barking his head off as he ran toward the foyer, his nails clicking loudly on the wood and tile flooring.
“Meat, ruhig,” Tuff ordered in a dominant tone. He strode right by Chet, without seeing her standing around the corner in the shorter hallway off the longer one that led to the front door, pulling his wallet out of his shorts as he went. “Sitz! Braver Hund. It’s just the Chinese food delivery. I’ll read your fortune cookie if you don’t try to take a bite out of the guy.”
Tuff unlocked and cracked open the front door. “Sorry, but I can’t open it any further. How much was it?” The response was too muffled for Chet to hear. “Here you go. Thanks.” He closed the door and locked it again. “Hmm. You like the smell of Chinese food don’t you . . . hey, you’re up. I hope Meat didn’t wake you. Sorry about the racket.”
Chet grinned at Tuff as he stopped and looked her up and down. The dog rushed over to her and demanded some attention, so she scratched his ears. “No worries. I was already wide awake before the doorbell rang. I didn’t know you were still here.”
She followed him into the kitchen where he set down two bags of food on the table. The aroma of whatever he’d ordered, combined with a hot apple pie cooling on the stove, made her stomach growl. Tuff grinned, clearly having heard she was hungry. “I only left to shower and change. I brought my laptop over to do some work and stuff. Me and Meat have been having a grand old time, haven’t we, boy?”
“Rowf!”
Taking Chet by the shoulders, Tuff steered her into a seat. “Relax and I’ll get the plates and utensils. Do you want water, soda, beer, wine, or something I didn’t notice you have?”
“Um, I can get it.” She started to rise but stopped when he glared at her. When she slowly sat back down, his smile returned, giving her a warm, fuzzy feeling. “A root beer, please. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. If you want to help, you can start pulling out the containers and see what you’re in the mood to eat.” He set an empty plate in front of her along with a knife and fork, then put another place setting across from her. “I found the apple pie in your freezer—I hope you don’t mind that I heated it up.”
“I don’t mind at all. Thanks for doing all this.”
“My pleasure.”
As he gathered their sodas and glasses filled with ice, Chet checked out each container as she pulled them out of the very full, paper bags. “Who are we feeding, an army? Shrimp rolls, hot and sour soup, steamed dumplings, General Tso’s chicken, beef lo mein, moo shu pork, and shrimp with broccoli. These are all my favorites. How did you know?”
He sat down, grinning. “Meat told me.” When she rolled her eyes, he chuckled. “I found a few menus in your takeout box on the counter—that’s cute by the way. Anyway, I flipped through them and saw what was circled from previous orders.”
“I didn’t realize I had so many duplicates in there. Obviously, I have to clean the box out.” It was a decorated, wooden box she’d found in Home Goods, with “Takeout Menus” in script across the top. She stored the ones from her favorite local places that delivered. The box got the menus off the counter, table, and refrigerator, and out of her junk drawer, and into one cute, neat place.
They loaded their plates, swapping the containers with each other, until they both had a little bit of everything. After taking a few mouthfuls to quiet her hungry stomach, she took a sip of her soda. It was comforting to have Tuff with her tonight. In between bites, he asked her questions, keeping them light and off the subject of the deaths of her friends. He even managed to draw a few chuckles out of her by telling her stories from his Army bootcamp days.
After they had their fill, Tuff set about clearing the table and putting the leftovers in the refrigerator. Again, he wouldn’t let her help. As she watched him load the dishwasher, a thought crossed her mind. “Weren’t you supposed to work tonight?”
“Mm-hmm.” He grabbed a sponge from the sink and ran it under the water. “I called and asked my boss to have someone cover for me on the detail.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Why?”
Turning to face her, Tuff held her confused gaze with an intense one. “Because I couldn’t leave you here by yourself after finding out two of your friends were killed. I was worried about you, Chet, and wanted to be here in case you needed me.”
Silence filled the air as his words swirled around in her mind. He’d called into work, only a few hours before he had to be there, and took the time off because he was worried about her? Because he wanted to be there if she needed him?
“Oh, hey, baby. I didn’t mean to make you start crying again.”
Chet could barely see him, because of her tears, as he crossed the room and circled around the table. Like he’d done earlier, he put a hand under her knees and the other around her back, before lifting her up. Again, he took her seat and set her on his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and cried into his hard chest as he stroked her back and murmured words meant to soothe her. As he usually did when she was out of sorts, Meat sat at her feet, whining and nuzzling her side. Tuff was the one to pet the dog’s big head. “It’s okay, boy. Your momma’s going to be fine.”
A hiccup, followed by a chuckle escaped Chet as she wiped her eyes and cheeks with one hand. It was so adorable how Tuff talked to Meat like he was a little kid who understood everything the man was saying, and it broke through her crying jag. Tuff reached past her and snagged her napkin from the table and handed it to her. She wiped her eyes again and blew her nose, too late thinking it was not the most attractive thing to do while sitting on a man’s lap. A man’s muscular lap. A man’s warm, muscular lap, with something poking her in the hip. Oh, boy.
She lifted her gaze to his and saw desire in his eyes. He licked his lips but didn’t make any other movement. Chet wanted those lips on hers. And not for a brief kiss. She wanted to devour him and have him do the same to her. All thoughts of their dinner and the day from hell fled her mind. Her eyelids dropped as she stared at his mouth. Throwing caution to the wind, Chet leaned forward and brushed her lips against Tuff’s. He froze beneath her, but she decided she was going all in. She shifted on his lap to get a better angle on his mouth.
His hand dove into her hair and gripped the strands, holding her in place. He pulled back only an inch or two, his gaze scanning her face. “I’m hanging on by a thread here, sweetheart. I don’t want to take advantage of you being so upset.”
“You won’t be. Please, Tuff.” Her voice was just above a whisper as she trailed her knuckles across his cheek. “I want you, Jason. No regrets. No demands for promises neither of us can keep. Just live in the moment. I need you to remind me I’m still alive even though I’m dying inside.”
Chapter Eleven
Tuff had been able to fight his urges, right up until the moment Chet had called him by his given name and pleaded with him to make her feel alive. He swallowed hard, his mind at war with his body, a war it was going to lose. His lust combined with the desperation in her eyes was his final undoing. His hand tightened in her hair as he slammed his mouth down on hers. He had to find that fine line of giving her what she needed without losing his barely-there control. As much as he wanted to carry her
to the bedroom and not come back out until they were both sated beyond their wildest dreams, this wasn’t about him. It was all about giving Chet the comfort she’d begged him for.
Her lips parted for him, and he slipped his tongue between them, tasting the spicy tang of the General Tao’s chicken she’d been eating. She squirmed in his lap, causing his dick to harden more than it’d already been. He’d tried to ignore how her lush ass felt being that close to his cock after he’d set her down on his lap, but the fucker had other plans. Lifting her, he maneuvered her legs until she was straddling his own. Pulling on her hair, he exposed her neck and feasted on it. Nibbling, sucking, and licking every inch he could reach. His other hand went under the hem of her T-shirt, seeking her breast that he’d already figured out was bare. He’d almost swallowed his tongue earlier when he’d first seen her standing in the hallway, wearing the thin T-shirt. While not sagging, her breasts didn’t look as restrained as they normally did. When she moved, they’d swayed just enough to make his mouth water.
Before his hand could reach its destination, Chet reached down and grabbed the front of her shirt. Pulling it up, she forced Tuff’s mouth from her skin, so she could completely remove it. He stared at her chest. Damn, those dusky, rose-colored nipples were more beautiful than he’d imagined in his dreams. Cupping one lush orb in his hands, he leaned forward and dragged his tongue over the peaked tip.
Chet moaned and arched her back, bringing his delicious treat closer to his mouth. He sucked on it, as her fingers threaded into his short hair, holding him to her. She was so gorgeous, so responsive, Tuff had no idea how he would be able to keep his hands off her after this. Friends with benefits. That’s all she’d asked for. Well, not in those exact words. No regrets. No demands for promises neither of us can keep. Just live in the moment. He could do that, he’d done it many times before, but for the first time in his life, Tuff wanted more than that—and the woman he was with didn’t.
Beside the chair, Meat laid down. Tuff had forgotten the big mutt was there, and it suddenly felt weird to be sucking on Chet’s tit with a canine audience. His hands trailed down to her ass, and then he stood. When she squeaked in surprise, he said, “Wrap your legs around me, baby.” When she did as instructed, he carried her to her bedroom and kicked the door shut behind them. Meat could be heard flopping down on the floor on the other side of it. Sorry, buddy.
Setting Chet down on the bed, Tuff curled his fingers under the waistband of her sweatpants. He lifted his gaze to hers. “If you want me to stop, Chet, tell me now.”
She shook her head. “Don’t stop. Please, don’t.”
Damn, he loved to hear her beg. Tuff dragged her pants and underwear down her legs, then tossed them aside. His heart pounded in his chest as he stared down at her. “You’re beautiful, baby. So fucking beautiful.”
A blush spread across her chest and face. Her eyes, filled with evident embarrassment, shifted to the side, and that just wouldn’t do. Tuff dropped to his knees, next to the bed, between her legs that hung over the side. “Look at me, Concetta.” He waited a moment until her gaze returned to his. “You. Are. Beautiful. Don’t ever doubt that, bomboncita. And I bet you’re even more beautiful when you orgasm—I can’t wait to find out for myself.” He leaned down and kissed the inside of one thigh and then the other, before his gaze found her face again. “How long has it been for you, sweetheart? I don’t want to hurt you.”
She licked her lips, and a shiver coursed through her. “Over a year, not including . . . well, you know.”
The corners of his mouth ticked upward. “Not including getting yourself off?”
The red on her cheeks deepened as she nodded.
“Damn, that conjures up all sorts of sexy images in my brain.” He kissed the soft skin just above her mound. She wasn’t bare, but neatly trimmed. “I’d love to watch you do that sometime. Do you use a vibrator or just your hand?”
Her gaze flitted to her nightstand, but she didn’t verbalize an answer. That was okay, though, because he was now ninety-five percent sure there was a vibrator named Bob or Buzz or some silly name like that tucked away in the drawer. They’d play with it some other time—and there would be another time, he was sure of it. But, tonight, it would just be Tuff and Chet.
Pushing against her inner thighs, Tuff spread her wide. Her pussy was already glistening, her labia nicely swollen. He ran the back of his forefinger over her folds, causing her to squirm.
“Please, Tuff.”
“Mmm. Don’t worry, baby. Relief is coming.” Bending down, he rasped his tongue up her slit, reveling in the taste of her. She bucked her pelvis and cried out. Her hands fisted the blanket that had covered her body earlier as she napped. Trapping her hips under the weight of his arm draped across them, he gave her sweet pussy the utmost attention. His cock throbbed in his shorts, wanting to burst from its confinement and sink into Chet’s core, but Tuff ignored it. Any satisfaction he got tonight would be by his own hand. He could give Chet what she needed, but he’d be an asshole if he took advantage of her that way. When he finally took her, she’d be in the right mindset. He was still afraid she’d regret this in the morning, but, God help him, he couldn’t stop now.
Tucking his hands under her ass cheeks, he lifted her to give himself better access. His stiffened tongue tunneled its way inside her, making her gasp, moan, and beg. “Oh! Yes! More! Oh, God! More!”
Tuff moved upward and found her exposed clit. He teased the little pearl, flicking his tongue over it, before sucking on it. He lowered her ass back down onto the bed so he could use his fingers to fuck her until she came for him. He eased two of them into her core. She was beyond drenched. Her hips undulated as he drove her higher and higher. Her moans became louder. Tuff’s cock threatened to explode just from the sounds of Chet chasing her climax. She was killing him.
He curled his fingers and found the bumpy, little patch of tissue that would help him send her into oblivion.
“Oh, my God! Yessssssss!”
Her walls quivered, then clenched around his fingers, almost crushing them. Her hips bucked, and her legs shook as the waves of pleasure crashed over her. Using his hands and mouth, Tuff drew out her release as long as he could, until he felt her orgasm wane.
Gasping for air, Chet sagged into the mattress. Tuff removed his fingers and licked them. Through heavy eyelids, she stared at him, a sexy smile spreading across her face. “That mouth of yours is very talented.”
He grinned as he stood and shifted his hips before climbing onto the bed next to her. He put his talented mouth to good use again, kissing her lazily. Chet stretched and rolled toward him onto her side. Her hand worked its way down his chest and over his abdomen, but he grabbed her wrist before it went any further. Pulling her head back, Chet’s confused gaze searched his face. Before she could ask him anything, he brought her hand to his mouth and brushed his lips over her knuckles. “Some other time, baby. I know you said you wouldn’t regret it in the morning, but I can’t take advantage of the situation. I’ll cuddle with you, make you cum again, and hold you while you sleep. But when I get into that hot pussy of yours, I don’t want it to be because you needed an escape. It’s going to be because you want it more than anything else in the world.”
When she opened her mouth to argue with him, he silenced her with his own. He kept the kiss sweet and lazy. When she relaxed, he lifted his head and wrapped his arms around her, tucking her into his chest. “Go to sleep, baby. I’ll stay as long as you need me.” His hands ran up and down her back and sides in a soothing, continuous path, until her breathing evened out.
Tuff’s cock wanted relief in the worst way but holding Chet’s sated body in his arms meant more to him than anything. And he didn’t know if he’d ever be able to let her go.
Chapter Twelve
As Chet walked from her SUV toward Donovan’s Pub, where the repast was being held following Terry and Megan’s funeral, her phone vibrated in her pocket. She stopped on the sidewalk and pulled it o
ut, then glanced at the screen. Her heart skipped a beat as she answered the call. “Hi, Tuff.”
“Hey, sweetheart. How are you doing?”
Trying to ignore how that term of endearment gave her the warm fuzzies, she sighed and leaned against the stuccoed wall next to the large, plate-glass window of the restaurant. “I’m okay. Just about to walk into Donovan’s for the luncheon. The church was packed, but I don’t think everyone’s coming here. Mostly just the family and close friends.”
“I wish I could be there with you. I’m sorry.”
While Tuff had attended the wakes with her, both nights, there’d been an emergency detail of some sort, and he and his team had needed to fly somewhere at 10:00 last night, not long after he and Chet had gotten home from the funeral parlor.
“That’s okay. Is everything all right? Did you do whatever it was you had to do?” He hadn’t been able to tell her where he’d been going and what he’d be doing there, but Chet wasn’t stupid. Through her conversations with Tuff and learning he’d been in Special Forces while in the military, she had to assume he was still doing classified missions for the US, even if it was through the private sector. Men like him never really retired from Special Forces. The government had paid good money for their training, and Uncle Sam would use the men as long as possible.
“Yeah, everything went okay. We should be home tomorrow night, but I don’t know if it’ll be early enough to see you.”
“That’s fine. But if you do get home early enough, I’d love to see you.” Chet grimaced. She didn’t know why she’d said that. While Tuff had given her an amazing orgasm the other night, the next morning he’d seemed to want to continue like it’d never happened. And all Chet could think about was that it had happened. No, Tuff wasn’t ignoring her or running away from her, in fact he was more attentive than ever, but he also hadn’t given her any indication he wanted to sleep with her again. While there had been hugs of comfort over the past two days, there hadn’t been any kisses, heated looks, or seduction. He hadn’t brought up what they’d done, and Chet was too embarrassed to mention it. She remembered how she’d begged him to help her forget her grief. She’d told him she would have no regrets the next day and neither of them had to make any promises they knew they couldn’t keep. At the time, she thought she’d meant it, but after waking in his warm embrace in the middle of the night, as he snored softly beside her, her feelings had changed. In her heart, she felt more for that man, after only knowing him a few weeks, than she ever had for her ex-husband or any other man. And that scared the hell out of her. Chet didn’t want to fall for someone who’d made it clear he couldn’t and wouldn’t fall for her.
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