Searching for Love (The Bradens & Montgomerys (Pleasant Hill - Oak Falls) Book 6)

by Melissa Foster

  “No! Go. I’m so excited for you guys. I have to call Char!”

  He was about to remind her that Char was on her honeymoon as he entered the suite, but the bathroom door was ajar and he heard the shower running. All his thoughts turned to Carly. He ended the call, set his phone on the dresser, and knocked on the bathroom door, the force pushing it open. Steam billowed out from above the glass doors, behind which Carly stood with her face tipped up toward the shower spray. His gaze moved down the length of her, and his heart turned over in his chest when he came to I’m sure written in the steam on the glass.

  He dropped the towels and pulled off his shirt. The hell with the concretions.

  Carly turned, and their eyes locked through the hazy glass as he pulled off his boots. She slid the door open, watching as he finished undressing. She beckoned him with a crook of her finger and a sultry look in her eyes, sexier than any fantasy he’d ever conjured. She fucking owned him. No fantasy could come close to the woman he adored giving herself freely to him.

  He stepped into the shower, gathering her slick body in his arms. “Carls,” he whispered as he lowered his mouth to hers.

  Heat rocketed through him as her soft body conformed to his hard frame, and he intensified the kiss. Their bodies slithered, grinding and rocking as they feasted on each other’s mouths. Their hands were everywhere at once. He loved the way she touched him, grabbing his ass, clawing at his back. Her back hit the wall, but they didn’t slow down. He couldn’t get enough of her as he groped her breasts, ground his cock against her center. Desire pounded through him, and he tore his mouth away with a curse.

  “I want all of you at once,” he growled.

  “Take me, Zevy. All of me.”

  He crushed his mouth to hers, making love to it like he wanted to make love to her—deep and possessive. He wanted to kiss her for hours, but there was no slowing down the greedy desire pulsing through him. He tasted his way down her body, nipping and sucking, earning one sinful sound after another, every moan making him ache. He palmed her breasts, taking one in his mouth, sucking hard, making her cry out with pleasure, and then easing his efforts, licking and teasing her nipple. He grazed the sensitive peak with his teeth, squeezing her other nipple between his finger and thumb.

  “Oh, yes!” she cried.

  Her hips rocked, and he reached up with one hand, sliding two fingers over her lips, and said, “Suck them.”

  She opened her mouth, and her lips closed around his fingers. She sucked and teased, taking them in and out as if they were his cock as he loved her breasts, earning one greedy noise after another. When she fisted her hands in his hair, pleading, “Don’t stop,” he thought he was going to lose his mind. She held his mouth to her breast. He withdrew his fingers from her mouth with the need to touch more of her and sucked harder, grabbing her ass with both hands and earning a sharp inhalation.

  She clutched his ass and he rose up, reclaiming her hot, willing mouth. Fucking heaven. He trapped her lower lip between his teeth, tugging it gently, then peppered her mouth with tender kisses. He kissed her cheek, her shoulder, her neck, anywhere he could reach. He wanted all of her, heart and soul.

  “This….you…” he panted out. “You’re all there is for me, baby. You’re all there’s ever been.”

  He took her in another smoldering kiss, and then he blazed a path down the center of her body, kissing her breasts, sucking her smooth belly, nipping her hips, and dragging his tongue in and around her belly button until she was trembling all over. He moved lower, dragging his tongue around her sex and inner thighs as he nudged her legs open wider. Warm water rained down his back as he teased her sweetest spots with his hands and mouth. Her essence spread over his tongue, and he couldn’t hold back his moans of pleasure. She tasted sweeter than sunshine and hotter than sin, familiar and somehow also thrillingly new.

  Perfect.

  He dipped two fingers inside her and lowered his mouth to the apex of her sex, sucking and licking her most sensitive nerves. She bowed off the wall, clawing at his shoulders, her hips rocking.

  “Oh God—” she cried out in desperation. “Zevy, please…”

  “I’ve got you, baby. I’ve always got you.”

  He quickened his efforts, fucking her with his fingers as he feasted and teased. He brought his other hand to her ass, caressing the soft globes, then teasing his fingers between them.

  “Oh Lord…Don’t stop!”

  She panted and whimpered, riding his hand, her thighs flexing and shaking as he sucked her clit and teased her bottom, sending her shooting for the stars. She fisted her hands in his hair as her climax consumed her. He reveled in the sweet sounds of surrender streaming from her lips, and when she started drifting back down to earth, he moved his mouth between her legs, taking her up to the peak again. He stayed with her until she slumped, spent and sated, against the wall. Only then did he kiss his way up her body, slowing to love her breasts again, earning full-body shivers.

  He took her face between his hands, and she stared hazily, hungrily, into his eyes. God, he loved her. “Still with me, baby?”

  “So with you.”

  “You’re protected, Carls? You sure?”

  “Yes.”

  He angled her mouth beneath his, slicking his tongue along her lower lip. She grabbed his arms, arching into him, her tongue reaching for his. She was killing him one sexy whimper at a time. He traced her lower lip with his thumb, and she licked it, desire simmering in her eyes. She was so wanting and willing, so sweet and delicious, he couldn’t stop his dirty demands from spilling out. “I need to fuck your mouth, baby, and then I want to fuck you.”

  “Mm, yes.” Her hands moved down his chest as she sank to her knees.

  Every touch of her lips, every slick of her tongue branded him as hers, just as they always had. When she wrapped her hand around his erection, his hips thrust instinctively. Her big blue eyes flicked up with the sweetness of an angel and the wickedness of a vixen. Warm water rained over her as she licked him from base to tip, sending fire through his veins. As she took him in her mouth, she held his gaze, loving him the way she used to, only it felt different now, more intense.

  “God, I’ve missed your mouth, baby.”

  She smiled around his cock and did something incredible with her tongue along the head. Christ almighty. He sank back against the cold, wet tiles, moaning loudly. He tangled his hands in her wet hair, and it took all of his control not to drive his cock down her throat. But he let her set their pace. She took him deep and agonizingly slowly, sucking so hard he swore she’d suck the marrow from his bones.

  “Jesus, Carls…”

  A spark of victory shone in her eyes, and she withdrew his cock from her mouth, making a dramatic, and fucking-hot, show of stroking him with her hand as she dipped lower and licked his balls. She squeezed him tighter, worked him faster. He gritted his teeth against the fire throbbing through his veins.

  “Fuck. I need you, baby.”

  Hauling her up to her feet, he captured her mouth and lifted her into his arms. She sank down onto his shaft, tight as a vise. They both moaned, and he ground out “Fucking hell” as she said “Ohmygod.”

  Their eyes locked, and in the space of a few silent seconds, a world of hopes and dreams for more were conveyed. Hopes he’d thought about a million times and pushed away a million more and dreams he’d never dared allow to consume him after he left her. But now his hopes and dreams clung to the ones in her eyes, daring to rise to the surface. He vowed never to push those dreams away again. As their mouths came together, they found their rhythm in love so all-consuming, and everything else fell away. There was only the two of them, the sounds of their lovemaking, the feel of finally coming home, the fusing of their hearts. Did she feel it, too, or was he alone in a fantasy that felt real?

  She dragged her nails down his back, the titillating pain snapping him from his trance.

  “Come with me,” she demanded, eliciting zings of electricity that had him th
rusting faster, taking her deeper. “Ah, ah, ah!”

  He’d never tire of hearing her needy sounds. Her nails cut into his flesh, the pain and pleasure sending lust coursing down his spine. He buried his face in her neck as her body clenched around him, drawing him closer to the edge with every pump of his hips. Her back hit the wall again, and they used it for leverage, catapulting them into a torrent of moans and pleas, thrusting, and grinding as their climaxes consumed them. The pleasure went on and on, until Zev was barely breathing, every thrust driven from his soul, bleeding him dry. Carly went boneless in his arms, their bodies jolting with aftershocks.

  Zev closed his eyes, reveling in the feel of her, her sweet sighs of satisfaction sailing into his ear. He kissed her lips, her cheek, and when her eyes opened, he wanted to burn the loving look in them into his mind so he could revel in it for hours.

  “Zevy” slipped from her lips like a secret.

  But there were no secrets left to unveil. There was only the truth that the love that had bound them together for so long, the love he didn’t know how to exist without, was still there. Neither one might be ready to address it yet, but it was as real as the water raining down on them.

  He kissed her softly. “I know, babe. I feel it, too. I’m going to take my time bathing every inch of you, and then I’m going to carry you to my bed and get you dirty all over again, because we’re not done, Carly. We’ll never be done.”

  A LONG WHILE later, they lay on their backs on a bed on the porch of the Peter Pan suite, their hands touching between them as they tried to catch their breath. Carly’s gaze moved beyond the sheers surrounding the bed Beau had built out of knotty wood and elegantly twisted iron to the rustic lanterns hanging from gnarled branches along the ceiling and the plants billowing out of giant pots, which gave the sleeping porch a jungle-like feel. The cool early-evening air brushed over their bodies, still damp from their lovemaking. Carly had seen all of the renovations Char and Beau had made, but the porch looked completely different—better, more romantic—with Zev lying next to her naked and sated. Then again, everything looked different after the incredible way he’d explored and ravaged her. She was sure she looked different, too.

  “I think you’ve ruined me for all of mankind,” she said. “The bionic man couldn’t live up to that.”

  “Exactly.” Zev squeezed her hand.

  “That was your goal, huh? Ruin me for all other men.”

  “Babe, if you’re still thinking about other men, then I did something wrong.”

  “Trust me, you didn’t do anything wrong. I feel like a teenager again. Like we’re back down by the creek in Pleasant Hill with a blanket and our mix CDs.” She sighed. “I didn’t think we could ever top those times. Remember how we used to go at it for hours?”

  “What do you think kept me going all these years?” He rolled onto his side and kissed her. His expression had gone from a ravenous beast to a sated lion. His gaze moved appreciatively over her face and down her naked body as he traced her curves, as if he were trying to memorize her.

  She’d dreamed of how she’d feel if she and Zev ever ended up in each other’s arms again, but now she couldn’t even remember what she thought she’d feel, because this was unlike anything she’d ever imagined or experienced. She felt transformed into a younger version of herself, a girl who didn’t overthink and hold back. It felt so good, she was tempted to peer into the future, but reminded herself that expectations led to heartbreak. She didn’t want to think about the fact that they had only six days together, or that one of those days was already more than half over, but she forced herself to. It was a good reminder that this time together was temporary, nothing more, and for now it was okay to be the old Carly and enjoy every minute for the gift it was.

  Zev was still drinking her in. He’d always enjoyed her body, and she’d always loved the way it felt to be admired by him, but this, too, felt different. She’d never been self-conscious about being naked around him, and she knew it had a lot to do with the fact that they’d dared each other to skinny-dip so often when they were young, it had become natural. He’d seen her body developing just as she’d seen his. When they were younger, they’d been each other’s first and only lovers. But now he was a man studying a woman, and she wondered what he was thinking. Was he comparing her to other women? Or thinking about how she’d changed and whether she lived up to the image he’d held in his head? She didn’t love the insecurities those thoughts stirred, but she was curious, so she said, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

  “I was just thinking about how lucky I am. I can’t believe you’re still single.” His eyes met hers as a caress. “You’re still the sweet, sexy, fun girl I knew, but now you’re even more beautiful, you’re stronger, you’re careful, protective of yourself. I know that last part is my fault, but damn, baby, you’re one impressive woman.”

  “You’re making me blush.”

  “Just being honest. While we were apart, I thought about you every day, but there were certain things I never let myself consider. Like if you were with someone else, if you were engaged, married, having babies. I had made it clear early on to my family not to bring your name up, because even though I left so you could move on, it would have crushed me to hear you had.” His expression turned apologetic. “I know that’s selfish, but I was so fucking lonely away from you and my family, our memories were all I had to pull me through.”

  The part of her that had been so hurt when he’d left wanted to do a little happy dance that he’d paid some sort of penance, but at the same time, thinking of Zev being lonely made her unbelievably sad. She’d known he was devastated when he’d left, but she’d always thought he’d found his way back to being the same worry-free person he’d been when they were together. He’d been so full of life and filled with hope and fathomless dreams, he was like his own brand of magic. As if he could make anything come true.

  “I think sometimes we have to be selfish in order to survive. I did the same thing,” she confessed. “But then I learned how important it was to make every moment count with the people I love while they’re in my life.”

  “Which is why you agreed to spend this time with me, isn’t it?” he asked with a grin that conveyed, You still love me. You know you do.

  Warning bells went off in her head. Apparently he was still excellent at asking questions that would bring broader answers than one might think, so she answered carefully. “Like I said, these six days are a gift, and I want to enjoy them. I still can’t believe we’re here together, and we…wow.”

  He kissed her softly and said, “You’re great for my ego.”

  “I won’t tell you what part of me you’re great for. I’m sure I’ll be sore in places I never realized I could be sore.”

  “Then I guess I should temper my thoughts about what I want to do to you later.”

  She feigned a scowl and said, “You’d better not temper them.”

  “I love that you have not changed in that regard.”

  “I thought I had; then you went and proved me wrong. But if this ruining is going to continue, then I need food to replenish my energy.” She sat up, pulling the sheet over her chest. The descending sun cast a romantic glow over the porch. “I thought Beau and Char had put you in the Peter Pan room because they thought you refused to grow up. You know, always dreaming of finding treasures. But I think it was because of this sleeping porch, wasn’t it?”

  “Sure was. I don’t do well sleeping indoors.” He stepped from the bed, reaching for her in all his naked glory, and said, “Come on, beautiful. Let’s get cleaned up and forage for food.”

  Chapter Ten

  AFTER A QUICK and handsy shower, Carly pulled on her underwear and shorts and looked around for her shirt. Zev stepped into his shorts commando. As if she wouldn’t think about that for the rest of the afternoon. Sheesh. The man was a walking billboard for sex on legs. She forced herself to stop looking at him and focused on searching for her shirt. She emptied her backpac
k and realized she’d forgotten to pack a bra, but she had worn a tank top over her bathing suit, and it was nowhere to be found.

  “Zev, did you move my shirt when I was in the shower?” She turned and found him watching her intently. Her lion was obviously getting hungry again. A shiver of heat trickled down her spine. Her stomach growled, reminding her she needed to eat. She crossed her hands over her breasts and said, “Zevy…”

  He scrubbed a hand down his face and said, “Sorry, but look at you. Covering up or not, you’re fantastic.” He leaned in for a kiss, staying close for several more.

  She could get used to this.

  No, no, no. No getting used to anything.

  “I didn’t move your shirt. But if it’s missing, I know who stole it.” He hollered out the bathroom door, “Bandit!”

  “You think he stole my shirt?”

  Bandit trotted into the bathroom, tail wagging.

  “This innocent-looking dog has already stolen my towel, socks, one of my notebooks, which I still haven’t found, and my binoculars. When I was collecting eggs from the chickens this morning, he ran off with the bucket. I think we can add your shirt to this scavenger’s list.” Zev loved up Bandit. “Hey there, thief. Did you take my girl’s shirt?”

  My girl. Carly tried to quell the giddiness bubbling up inside her.

  Bandit cocked his head and licked Zev’s cheek.

  “I’m taking that as a yes.” He ruffled the dog’s head and stood. “I’ll give you one of mine.”

  He took her hand, leading her into the bedroom. She had forgotten how much of a hand holder he was. She’d missed it.

  Char and Beau had done a great job of decorating to bring out the elegance of the Darlings’ London home. A crystal chandelier hung in the center of the room, and just beyond was a sleek and intricately carved mahogany canopy bed, as rich and luxurious as it was romantic. On the far wall was a hand-painted mural of the London cityscape with silhouettes of Peter Pan, Wendy, and her brothers flying in front of Big Ben in the moonlight. A shadow of Peter Pan peeked out from behind the closet door, and there were lanterns as bedside lights and pristine hardwood floors with a plush and elegant area rug.