by Natalie Ann
He moved down her waist, his hands unbuttoning and then unzipping her shorts. He didn’t even bother to look at her panties, just pulled everything off at once.
She was on his bed lying there exposed like she hadn’t been in over a year and rather than be nervous she was looking forward to what was coming next.
The look in Ryan’s eyes told her he was ready to feast and she was laid out nice and pretty for his dinner.
No words were spoken. He just dipped his head and put his mouth to that nub that’d been so sensitive to his touch.
She squealed when he started to suck, knowing it wasn’t going to be long now.
And it wasn’t because the minute he inserted a finger in her and curved it just right, everything that had been bottled up in her just let loose like the cork in a champagne bottle.
He leaned back and looked at her. Her eyes were only open a slit but she managed to lift them higher to see the grin on his face. “Doing okay?”
“Yeah. Lose the shorts.”
He stood up and dropped them to the ground, giving her a view of what she’d only felt before. He walked to the side of his bed and opened a drawer and got a condom out, slipped it on, then climbed over her.
“You ready?” he asked.
“That’s kind of a crazy question at this point.”
“Just wanted to make sure.”
Her hips went up, pressing into his. “Don’t make me wait any longer.”
He nudged her legs apart, found his way and slid in making her eyes cross. “Too much? Want me to slow down.”
“Don’t you dare,” she said, lifting up higher. It was tight, she expected as much, but it felt better than ever before.
He pushed back into her, sending her hips back to the mattress, but she rose up. Simon says she wanted to say but couldn’t get any words past her throat.
Ryan sure the hell knew what he was doing.
His hands went to her face and held her there while his mouth started to ravish hers. Their hips were moving up and apart from each other, the bed squeaking. She’d never had two orgasms in a row before, but she was about to now.
“Don’t stop,” she said. “Whatever you do, don’t stop yet.”
“I won’t,” he said, but his voice was harsh like he was in pain and she realized that maybe he was holding back for her and he couldn’t anymore.
“You can let go,” she told him.
“Not yet,” he said, moving faster.
Her legs came up and around his hips sending him so deep her head went back on the bed and everything broke free once again.
His hands moved under her hips, held them in place, and he just started to slam into her again and again until he groaned himself and collapsed on top of her.
16
Catching A Glimpse
Ryan was trying to catch his breath after what he’d just experienced.
He hadn’t known what to expect for their first time, but it wasn’t that he’d feel like he’d run a mile at a sprint with work boots and a toolbelt on.
“Are you okay?” he asked, rolling off of her.
“I think so. I’m still breathing so that’s a good sign.”
He got up and went into his bathroom to take care of the condom. When he came out she was getting dressed. Just standing there in her matching pink lace bra and panties. “Those are pretty cute.”
“Thanks. I had hoped you’d like them. That they’d turn you on.”
“You didn’t need to wear fancy underwear to turn me on. So, it’s all good?”
“Yeah.” She pulled her shirt and shorts on and sat on the bed while he grabbed his underwear and shorts. She was being quiet and he wasn’t sure what was going on but sat next to her.
“What are you thinking?”
Her face was red. “You don’t think poorly of me because I said I didn’t want you to be tender?”
“No,” he said, wondering why she asked that. “I won’t know what you like or want if you don’t tell me.”
“I didn’t know if I’d like it or not, to be honest.”
That statement alone told him so much more than he expected.
He knew she was shy and nervous about all of this. But now he was wondering if her husband had put her on a pedestal.
Not that she ever really acted all that high and mighty or pampered. Just the few times on the phone before they’d even met.
But she was just the opposite of that.
“So did you?” he asked.
“It wasn’t obvious? I might have left some scratch marks on your back.”
“You did,” he said turning to show her.
“I’m so embarrassed.” Her finger was trailing down his back sending goosebumps erupting all over.
“Don’t be. I like it.”
He stood up and pulled her up next to him, then into his arms and held her. He wasn’t trying to be gentle, but he felt the urge to hold on and let her know it was going to be okay.
She laid her head on his chest and just sighed and he knew it was the right move to make for a guy that never seemed to do anything right with a woman.
Or maybe he’d never really tried.
He wouldn’t say he was holding a grudge and couldn’t let go because of what he’d seen with Whitney’s marriage. Or that every woman he dated was only out to be with him for being a bad boy or wanting his name.
But it did dictate the type of woman he ended up with and how he treated them.
Shannon wasn’t like any of those women in his past and he hadn’t wanted to treat her as such.
He leaned back and asked, “Hungry for some dinner? I’d love to throw you back on the bed but figured maybe we could take a break for food. Sometimes getting the first one out of the way makes it easier.”
“Food sounds great,” she said. “Can you keep your shirt off? No, no, put it back on. I won’t be able to eat if you keep it off.”
“You’re a piece of work,” he said, smiling but reached for his shirt and pulled it on.
“In a good way?” she asked.
“Of course.” Once they were in the kitchen he opened a drawer and pulled out a bunch of takeout menus. “Order in or go eat out?”
“Order in and have them deliver.”
“What are you in the mood for?” he asked.
“I’m not really fussy. Just pick a menu and I’ll find something on it.”
He didn’t want to do that but decided to just close his eyes and grab one at random, then held it out. It was Chinese. “Here you go.”
“Good choice,” she said. “I like to order a bunch of different things and sample them all.”
“That works for me. You pick three and I’ll pick three and we can have a feast. It’s fast too, should be thirty minutes or less.”
When the food was ordered, he opened the fridge and asked her what she wanted to drink. She used her hip and bumped him aside to check out the inside of his fridge. “This is pretty empty.”
“I don’t cook. Lots of takeout containers or sandwich meat. My mother will give me leftovers sometimes, as they aren’t that far away. Whitney cooks a lot for herself and gives me some a few times a week.”
Shannon reached in and grabbed a beer, shocking him. He took her for a wine drinker and had a bottle in there, but she bypassed it for an IPA. One of his favorites.
He pulled down two glasses and poured both of them, then handed her a glass. She snatched a stool to sit at the island so he did the same.
“That’s nice of your sister to do that. You’re close?” she asked.
“We are. She said she talked to you last week. I was surprised you hadn’t said anything about us.” He figured he should give her a heads up that his sister at least knew. He should have told her last week and hadn’t thought of it.
“She was calling about the house and I wasn’t sure what we had or who you wanted to know. No one knows me here, but they know you.”
“She knows now. She’s the only one. I hope that was fine.”
>
“It was. It is. Now I won’t feel like I’m hiding it. She wanted to go to lunch one day soon. I like to get out and do that now and again. Since I work from home I don’t have much actual contact with people other than Zoe, you, or the kids. I did go to a neighbor’s twice already. They’ve got kids around Maddie and Jeffrey’s age.”
“She might hound you a little on things between us. Just tell her to mind her own business.”
“It’s okay. I understand. Zoe and I are really close too. I’m sure you realized that. I tell her a lot. I almost have to since she watches the kids. She knew I was here tonight.”
“And did she know what we planned on doing?” he asked.
“Yes. I’ve always been the mature one between us giving advice, but she knew all the right things to say to me.”
“I’m not sure I want to know.”
“I’m not going to tell you. Just know that I wouldn’t have gotten this far without her. Or this fast. I’d still be staring at you from afar or walking about the development trying to figure out where you lived and catching a glimpse of you.”
“You’ve seen it all now and you know where I live.”
“I have and I do.”
They talked some more about the area and things to do, then food was delivered and the two of them gorged themselves.
When they were stuffed, he wasn’t sure what she wanted to do next and was going to see if she wanted to watch some TV or if she needed to leave. It was only seven at this point. Not that late.
“Do you need to be home at a certain time?”
“No. And what I want to do is go back into your bedroom and have you wear me out some more. I need to burn off that dinner.”
“You don’t need to burn a damn thing off. You’ve got one hell of a body on you.”
No one would know she’d had two children. She was thin and toned, no stretch marks at all. “Thank you,” she said, fluttering her eyes at him. “Skinny runs in our family as I’m sure you can tell by Zoe. But I do like to exercise too. We both do.”
“I’ve never been skinny,” he said. He’d always been more muscular than most. The men in his family were all tall and big. Even if they were thin, no one would ever call them skinny.
“I like what you’ve got,” she said. “And I want to get my hands on it again.”
“Be my guest.”
A few hours later, Shannon was giving Ryan a kiss by the door. She knew she should get home. The kids would be in bed, but Zoe would be waiting up and want to talk. And she found she wanted to share a bit too.
“So, I’ll see you tomorrow,” Ryan said.
“Are you sure? If you have plans I understand. We’ll see you on Sunday for Jeffrey’s birthday dinner.” She was starting to wonder if maybe she shouldn’t have Ryan around quite so much with the kids but it was almost like she couldn’t stop it now either.
“I don’t have any plans. I’ll be over around ten.”
“We’ll see you then,” she said, giving him one more kiss.
She walked through his garage and to her SUV, climbed in and drove the mile home. She didn’t even get out of the hallway to turn toward the kitchen and there was Zoe standing there rubbing her hands together.
“What?” she asked her sister.
“You’ve got the look of a woman well and truly used right now. You go, girl.”
“I feel like that woman. Are the kids all settled?”
“They are. I checked on them about twenty minutes ago figuring you’d be home soon. Do you want to talk or just go to bed?”
“Talk for a bit. I feel the need to brag.” She’d never been someone that felt she could brag about what she did with a man. First she’d been too young, and then married. No one wanted to listen to a married woman talk about their sex life.
“Don’t make me jealous. Who knows how long it’ll be before I get to see a man naked again.”
“I can’t help it. It was just so wonderful.”
“You’ve got stars in your eyes. I’m not sure if that is a good thing or not.”
“I feel like I’m floating on a cloud and wonder if I should step back.” Could she be rushing things? Was it a mistake? She really wasn’t sure what to do.
“Go with your gut and how you feel. I don’t picture Ryan the type of person that rushes into much. He knows about your situation.”
“He does.” She stopped and looked around as if she thought someone could hear them. “I asked him not to be gentle.”
“And?” Zoe asked.
“He threw me over his shoulder to bring me to his room.”
“Oh, my heart is racing. That so isn’t you. Did you like it?”
“I started to laugh but in a good way. It just felt so...wonderful. Like I was young and carefree.”
“You are young and should be carefree. So how many times did you do the deed?”
“Before and after dinner. But I had four orgasms. I’ve never had two in a row or in one night and I had four. How is that possible?”
“Okay, now I’m really jealous. Two has always been my limit, but four! It’s probably because it’s been so long. You’re trying to catch up. Maybe by the time I find a man it will happen to me that way too.”
“Ryan’s going apple picking with us tomorrow. He’d just mentioned he hadn’t been in years and I asked if he wanted to go. Was that wrong?”
“No,” Zoe said. “You’re dating. The kids love him. You know that. Why don’t you four go together? I don’t need to go.”
“No. We planned this with you,” she argued. The last thing she wanted was her sister to feel like she was the fifth wheel.
“Actually I said I’d go to help you out, but I wouldn’t mind having the day to myself. If Ryan is going to be around then I don’t feel so bad about leaving you alone with the kids.”
Which made her feel even worse. “Zoe. I told you that you have weekends off. You said you wanted to go when I asked. I only asked because I didn’t want you to feel excluded, but all you have to do is say no or you have plans. Please don’t feel like you need to do everything with us. I can handle my two kids just fine for a day trip and you know it.”
“You can, but you’re paying me a lot of money to be a nanny and I don’t feel like I do much. I drive the kids to and from school and watch them afterward while you work. I only have Maddie two days a week. On the weekends if I don’t have plans it’s the least I can do so you can go on a date or run errands without them underfoot.”
“And I appreciate that. I really do. But you uprooted your life for me. If you want to go do something tomorrow, do it. Whether Ryan does things with me or not, go enjoy yourself. I mean it.”
“That means if you need a night alone with Ryan, I can tell you no?” Zoe asked, grinning.
“If you’ve got plans, then yes. I can find a babysitter or figure it out.”
“I’m just kidding. I can work around your schedule. It’s fine. If it becomes a problem you’ll be the first to know.” Zoe gave her a hug. “Now go check on the kids and make sure I didn’t put them in each other’s pajamas and then get some sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.”
She watched Zoe go downstairs to her place and she walked up to check in first with Jeffrey, then Maddie. Kissing them both and tucking them in.
A year ago Shannon didn’t know how she was going to make it day to day. Today, she couldn’t wait for tomorrow.
She had this. She was doing good and was damn proud of herself.
17
Apple Pie
Ryan pulled into Shannon’s driveway the next morning. It was still warm out for early September but not warm enough for shorts and a T-shirt just yet. Not like yesterday which was about ten degrees warmer than today would be.
He could hear the dogs barking and the kids laughing in the back when he got out, so he made his way behind the garage to the gate on the fence.
There were Jeffrey and Maddie running around in jeans and fleece pullovers. They had to be sweating. He was c
omfortable in his T-shirt for now but it was going to warm up as the day went on.
“Aren’t you going to be cold?” he heard and turned to see Shannon on the deck. She was dressed the same as the kids and he was trying not to laugh.
“Aren’t you hot?” He walked up the deck quickly and resisted the urge to kiss her with the kids there.
“I am a little warm.” Her hand went to his arm, rubbing up and down. “You probably have a shirt or jacket in your truck though, right? They have hayrides there and you might get scratched.”
He wanted to make a comment about her being a little mother, but when her face flushed he got the feeling she realized what she’d said and was doing. “I’ll be fine. But yes I’ve got a flannel shirt in my truck.”
“Ryan,” Jeffrey said, running over. “Mommy said you were going apple picking with us. I’ve never been, but Mommy makes the best apple pies and she promised to make one today.”
“Apple pie?” he said, bending down and picking up Oreo that was jumping on his leg. When his sister Taffy noticed, she did the same, and he found two puppies in his arms. “That’s one of my favorites too.”
“Then maybe I’ll make two and let you take one home. And don’t you look cute with puppies in your arm?”
“That’s a calendar shot right there,” Zoe said, walking out on the deck and pulling her phone out. “Smile, Ryan.”
He wasn’t sure what to do, but he wasn’t smiling. He didn’t smile often and he sure the hell wasn’t posing for a picture like this.
Zoe must have snapped it anyway and then turned to show it to her sister. “Oh. That’s a keeper. Send it to me now.”
“Are you going to let me see it?” he asked.
“Maybe later.”
“You guys have fun,” Zoe said. “I’m not sure when I’ll be back but don’t make any plans around me.”
“Bye, Aunt Zoe,” Maddie said, running up and giving her a hug.
When Zoe was pulling out of the garage, he asked, “It’s just us?”
“Yeah. She told me last night she really didn’t want to go but didn’t want me to go alone. I told her I want her to be honest with me and that she’s allowed to come and go when she wants on the weekends. She’s meeting up with a few people that she’s been talking to. Some that she met at the picnic a few weeks ago.”