Keeping Score

by Cathryn Fox

  “I don’t know. I guess not really. Is that something you want?”

  She nods. “Cochrane and I talked about it.” She snorts. “We had our entire future planned out.”

  “And now?”

  She rolls one shoulder, and shrinks into herself. “And now…I have no idea what the future holds.”

  “Can I ask you a question?”

  “I guess.”

  “You and me. Us.” I point my finger back and forth between the two of us. “Here, this weekend. Is it still what you want this morning, now that you’ve had time to sleep on it?”

  She grins. “It’s not like I really slept, but yes, it is, and I’m sorry I brought up Cochrane. It’s just you mentioned family, and kids.”

  Christ, I can’t even stand to hear his name on her lips. I’m not sure what I’ll do if she goes back to him, and I see them on campus together. I push that thought from my brain. “You’d be a good mom.”

  She bites into her toast and goes quiet, thoughtful, a little smile touching her lips as she recalls something from the past. “Did you ever have to do that project in high school where you take an egg home and have to care for it for a week. You know, like it was your baby.”

  I nod and remember the foster home I was in when I was assigned that project. Food was scarce and punishment was harsh. “Yeah, I remember that. I bet you made it through the whole week with that egg fully intact.”

  “I did. How did you make out?”

  I rub my stomach. “I made scrambled eggs.”

  She stares at me for two long seconds, then breaks out in a belly laugh. “Did you really?”

  Her laugh is contagious. “I was hungry.”

  “You’re always hungry.”

  I lick my bottom lip, my gaze going to her nipples, which are poking against my white T-shirt that does little to hide her gorgeous body. “Yeah, I am,” I agree, my hunger for food shifting to a hunger for her. My head lifts, and while I want to take her again, I also want to enjoy our time together outside of bed.

  I stretch my arms above my head and she stares at my chest. “Do you have a lot of studying to do today?” I ask.

  “I do, but first I thought we could take the kayaks out, and maybe later we can grab the rods and fish from the dock.”

  “Maybe I’ll catch us a walleye for dinner. Toss it on the barbecue.”

  She smiles at me. “You’re game?”

  “You bet. I do have one small problem, though.” I run my hands through my mess of hair, finger combing it into place as my dick twitches, and my mind races, recalling why it’s a tangled mess in the first place. “I’ve never been in a kayak, and I’ve never fished.” She claps her hands, delight stamped all over her face. “Why does that make you so happy?”

  “I get to do a first with you, and don’t worry, you’re naturally athletic and it’s pretty easy.”

  “I like easy.”

  She laughs at that and tosses the napkin back at me. “I am not easy.”

  “I am.” I give a wiggle of my eyebrows, and she stands and shakes her head. While she might not be easy, and I wasn’t suggesting she was, she is easy to be with.

  “You’ve been with a lot of girls, haven’t you?”

  “Yeah.” Shit, I’m not going to lie to her, but I don’t want her to think she’s just another notch on the bedpost. I take in the tightening of her body.

  “Last night…was I any—”

  “Jesus, Reagan. Don’t do that. Don’t compare yourself with anyone.” I drag her into my arms, and brush her hair from her face. “Last night, and what you did for me earlier…” I put my hand beside my head and mimic an explosion. “Mind blowing.”

  She smiles, her worries easing. “Yeah? It was good for you?”

  “Good? No, it was fucking great. I have never come so hard in my entire life. Everything in the way you trusted me with your body, the way you opened up for me, that was all new for me too, Reagan. Last night wasn’t just a night of firsts for you.” What I don’t tell her is that sex with her was the best sex I ever had, and it’s probably because I feel things for her that I have no right feeling—and had never felt for anyone else.

  With a new lightness about her, she goes up on her toes and kisses me. “Such a sweet talker.”

  “I’m telling you the truth.”

  “Uh huh,” she teases.

  “I am,” I say and whack her ass. She yelps and jumps back, a wide smile on her face, and I love that I was the guy who put it there.

  “Come on, let’s get outside and enjoy the sunshine.”

  “I’d rather take you back to bed, and enjoy you, Sunshine,” I mumble under my breath.

  “What was that?”

  “Nothing.” I toss the last of my breakfast into my mouth. We put our dishes in the sink, and get ready to enjoy our day. Reagan finds some suntan lotion, and after we’re greased up, we head to the dock. The early morning sun glistens on the water as we drag the kayaks into the lake. Reagan gives me a quick lesson and I’m a fast learner, so I catch on quickly.

  We paddle around the big lake, a comfortable silence between us as we lose ourselves in our own thoughts. We float and paddle until the sun is high in the sky. I have no idea what time it is or how long we’ve been out on the lake. We left our phones back at the cottage and I have to say, no communication with the real world is rather cathartic. A loud knocking sound ripples across the water, and I glance around.

  “Over there.” Reagan points and I follow the direction.

  “What is it?”

  “A woodpecker.”

  “Let’s go see.” We paddle toward it, the sound getting louder.

  “It’s a beautiful bird. Annoying as hell, though, especially at five in the morning, when it’s banging against the satellite dish.”

  I laugh at that. “I’m guessing you’re talking from experience.”

  “Oh yeah.”

  I take in a deep breath, filling my lungs with the morning air, and letting it relax every bone in my body.

  “Nice, huh?” she asks.

  “Peaceful.”

  “Rocco?”

  “Yeah.”

  She comes up beside me. “Thanks for coming here with me.”

  “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be,” I tell her honestly. I glance around at the tall trees reflected in the water. “You should paint this.”

  “I should. It’s gorgeous.”

  “Sanctuary.” There’s a long pause as I have an epiphany. “Hmm.”

  “What?”

  I take in the peaceful view before me. “I never thought a wide-open space would give me the same feeling as the treehouse.”

  “Yeah.” She smiles at me and we go quiet for a long time, just soaking it in, and letting it soothe our souls. A bird flies overhead and squawks, breaking the moment. “Want to race back in?” she asks.

  “Depends.”

  “On what?”

  I wag my eyebrows, and go into playful mode. “What does the winner get?”

  She taps her chin. “How about this. If I win, and you lose, I get to do whatever I want with you for the next hour.” She points to me. “If you win and I lose, you get to do whatever you want with me for the next hour.”

  “In no world would that be considered losing for me, Sunshine,” I say and her soft laugh wraps around me and strokes my dick.

  “You agree to the terms, then?”

  “You bet I do.” I start to paddle, but she dips the end of hers into the water and splashes me, throwing me off to get a head start. I swipe at my face as her laughter curls around me. “You’re going to pay for that.”

  She’s squealing when I catch up to her, and she tries to splash me again, but she’s laughing so hard, having so much fun, she starts to wobble and loses her pace.

  I pass her by. “See you on the dock, where I get to do all kinds of dirty things to you.” My heart pounds a little harder. God, I love seeing her happy like this. I make it to the shore, jump out and drag my kayak up o
nto dry land. I walk to the end of the dock and stand there with a gloating, shit-eating grin on my face as I think about all the things my fingers and tongue are going to do to her. I shove my hands into my pockets, and admire everything about her—especially the pleasure on her face—as she paddles in.

  She points to me. “You cheated.”

  “You’re the one who cheated, not me.” I lift my arms and flex my biceps. “It’s these guns that gave me the edge,” I joke, just to pull a laugh from her, and she rewards me with one. She drags her kayak ashore, and catching me by surprise, she comes running at me and jumps into my arms, her legs around my waist and arms around my neck. I slide my hands around her ass, and hold her to me as her lips find mine. She kisses me, deeply, and my body reacts the way it always does when she’s near, or not near. I don’t even want to think about how many times I’ve jacked off to fantasies with her in mind.

  A groan filled with need crawls out of my throat, and her lips linger close to mine as she cups my cheeks and says, “I’m so glad you enjoyed kayaking.”

  “That’s not what’s making me moan, Sunshine.” She chuckles, and it’s so obvious that she loves toying with me. “I have to say, I love that we’re the only two people in the world right now.”

  “I love it too.”

  I open my mouth about to say, I love you, but catch myself. What the hell? I guess I must be caught up in the moment, because love has no place in this situation. We have the weekend, not a future. I’d be wise to remember that.

  I put my mouth close to her ear, worried she can read what I’m feeling on my face. “I won.”

  “That’s because I let you.”

  I chuckle, and her body vibrates in my arms. “Is that because you want me to have my way with you?”

  “I really like that you’re a quick learner.”

  “What would you say to me stripping you right here on the dock and putting my cock in you?”

  Her chest rises with a deep breath, and a flush of heat crawls up her neck. She blinks innocently at me and shrugs. “What can I say? I can’t break the terms now, especially after I was the one who set them.” Her legs slide down my body until she’s standing, and my cock is so damn hard it’s straining against my jeans. Tease that she is, she rubs against me, fully aware of my arousal.

  “Take off your clothes,” I growl.

  She draws her bottom lip into her mouth and glances around. We’re secluded. Unless someone on the other side of the lake has binoculars, no one can see us. I wouldn’t let her strip if I thought there was a chance of anyone else seeing her. I don’t want anyone other than me looking at her gorgeous body. She backs up and reaches for the hem of her T-shirt, ready to tug it off.

  “Slow.”

  “Oh,” she murmurs. “You want to watch, huh?”

  “Yeah.”

  She wiggles her curvy hips and leisurely drags her shirt up over her stomach, chest and head. I growl with want, and she gives me a demure yet sexy smile in response. Two seconds later, her bra joins her shirt on the dock. She takes her gorgeous breasts into her hands and squeezes them together, and my cock jumps, aching to slide between her creamy cleavage. I am so going to fuck her tits.

  “Nice…” I murmur.

  She unbuttons her jeans and I rip into my pants, freeing my cock. She grins as I take my dick into my hand and stroke it. It’s crazy how hard I am. We fucked last night and she sucked my cock this morning. Nevertheless, I can’t get enough of her.

  “You have the nicest tits. I might have to fuck them.”

  She gasps and wets her thumb to run it over one pebbled nipple, and I nearly shoot off in my hand. Turning slightly to shake her sweet ass at me, she kicks off her shoes, slides her tight pants to her feet, and tosses them away. Her fingers go to the band of her panties.

  “Stop,” I command softly, and she fully turns to me, and arches a questioning brow. I quickly close the distance between us, and slide my hand between her legs. Her heat scorches me, and I love finding her so hot and ready.

  “I loved this sweet mouth of yours wrapped around my dick, but you know what I’m going to love even more?”

  “What?” she asks, her voice breathless as my finger shapes her lips.

  “My mouth.” I tug her panties to the side, and push a finger into her. She gasps. “Right here.”

  16

  Reagan

  “Rocco…” I murmur as he does the most amazing things with his fingers. He hits a spot inside me so sensitive, I nearly sink to my knees as pleasure gathers in my core. I briefly close my eyes as birds take flight in a nearby tree. I wasn’t ready for sex before—and I am not about to examine that too closely at the moment—but now, I’m ready for everything and anything with Rocco. I want him to do whatever he wants to my body. Things I’ve never even heard of before.

  “Feel good, Sunshine,” he murmurs, and presses the butt of his palm to my clit. I move against his hand, shamelessly, ride him furiously. Being with him is freeing, and I like it. A lot.

  “So good,” I tell him, even though he already knows by the way I’m moving my body, sliding up and down his deft fingers.

  “I want my mouth on you,” he whispers.

  “Yes please.”

  My response brings a chuckle to his lips, and I open my eyes, my breath catching at the desire and need in his eyes. I’m not sure any guy has ever looked at me the way Rocco does. His finger slides down my body, taking my panties, and I groan in protest when he inches back.

  “Don’t worry, babe. I’m going to take real good care of you. I promise you that.”

  He kicks off his pants, and I stand there naked, under the noonday sun, my body a hot, quivering mess of need as he lays our clothes out on the dock. My heart squeezes at his thoughtfulness. If I’m not careful here, I could fall for him and do the one thing Cochrane warned me against.

  Would it be so bad to fall for Rocco? We’re different people with different goals and different pasts, but here right now, we’re the same, and who says we can’t have a future?

  Oh, just my parents, and society. I’m supposed to do the right thing, marry the right guy. Anything else—anything less—would reflect badly on the family name. The thing is, Rocco isn’t…anything less. He’s caring, gentle, and is constantly putting my needs first. He has a reputation, a bad one, and he’s known to sleep around. Maybe he never shows anyone else the side he’s showing me. I’ve certainly never shown anyone this sexual side of me before.

  “You okay?”

  I blink to bring myself back, and smile. “I am.”

  With the gentlest touch, he places his palm on my cheek. “If you don’t want—”

  “I want, Rocco,” I say quickly. “I want this. I want you. I want you to…” My voice falls off.

  “Don’t be shy. Not with me, okay?”

  “I want you to do everything to me.”

  His blue eyes darken with lust, and his chest rises, his breath suddenly labored. “What’s everything, Reagan?”

  “That’s just it. I don’t know. I was a virgin, remember?”

  His eyes close for a brief second. They’re full of raw lust when they open. “Fuck, like I could ever forget that.”

  He steps closer, and the intimacy in his touch, combined with the fact that we’re both comfortable being naked around each other, sends a new, unfamiliar kind of warmth through my blood. It leaves me lightheaded, almost giddy with joy. I put my hand on his chest, needing the contact. His fast heartbeat matches mine.

  “Is there something you’d like to do to me?”

  “Christ, Reagan. I want to take you five hundred different ways and make you orgasm a thousand times before this weekend is over.” A hard quake racks my body. He reaches out, squeezes my breasts together. “I want to fuck you here, and shoot my cum into your mouth.”

  I gasp, my nipples hardening beneath his touch. “I…I’d like that too.”

  “I want you underneath me, on top of me. Jesus, I want you bent over the bed, your hand
s tied, while I put my cock into this sweet hot cunt of yours.”

  “Ohmigod.”

  He grins at me, my shock a dead giveaway that I want all the dirty things he mentioned and all the dirty talking.

  “There we go, now we’re getting somewhere,” he says, and puts his hand between my legs. “I want my tongue inside you. I want you to come all over my mouth.” I just stare, my voice lodged somewhere in my throat. “Lay down,” he commands in a soft voice. “Spread your legs and show me your sweet pussy, so I can do all the things I want to you.”

  My legs are wobbly as I walk to the pile of clothes and drop down. I spread my legs wide for him, offering myself up completely, putting my body in his talented hands.

  “I’m the luckiest fucking guy in the world,” he murmurs, and it sends a thrill through me. With a simple look, a few simple words, he makes me feel worshipped, like I’m the most important woman in the world—to him. At the moment, I don’t care if he says the same thing to all the girls he takes to bed. I just want to bask in what we’re sharing this weekend.

  He drops to his knees, the sun warming our bodies as he leans forward and swipes his tongue over my clit. All the dirty talk has me so turned on, I nearly climax. I don’t want to. Not yet. I want this to last forever. He flattens himself on the dock and slides his hands under my ass, bringing my pussy to his mouth for a feast, and feast he does.

  He licks and sucks and puts his tongue into me until I’m writhing and calling out his name. It echoes across the water, and can undoubtedly be heard by the neighbors, if they’re near the lake. I simply don’t care. Not when it’s this good. He slides a finger into me, touches that sensitive bundle of nerves and just like that I break.

  “Rocco,” I call out, my fast orgasm taking him by surprise, judging by the widening of his eyes as he tilts his head to see my face, his mouth still between my legs, drinking me in like he can’t get enough. I know the feeling. He stays between my legs, lightly licking me as my body continues to spasm and pulse in the most glorious way. I usually have to work much harder than this for an orgasm—especially with—nope, not going to think of him.