Oh, Fudge: Hot Cakes Book Five

by Nicholas, Erin

  She took a little breath, her smile fading. But she was still watching him intently. “Now, see, usually when guys say stuff like that, I find it pretty intense and consider it a red flag and immediately want to get some space.”

  He tucked his hands into his pockets and nodded.

  “But with you… I don’t want space.”

  Mitch felt his chest tighten. “You pushed me out of this apartment pretty quick when you found out I hadn’t been with any other women.”

  She pressed her lips together and nodded.

  “You didn’t think that was pretty intense?”

  She nodded again.

  “And it made you want space, right?”

  She took a breath. “I pushed you out before I could tell you that I haven’t been with anyone since we were together either.” She paused. “That made me want space.”

  Mitch let that sink in.

  She hadn’t been with anyone else either.

  She hadn’t been with anyone else either.

  She hadn’t fucking been with anyone else either.

  He felt a little like beating his chest and shouting, Yes!

  But he simply cleared his throat and said, “I’m not going to say I’m sorry.”

  One corner of her mouth curled up. “What would you be sorry for?”

  “Ruining you for all other men.”

  The other corner of her mouth tipped up and she shook her head. “That’s not what I said.”

  He nodded. “But that’s what happened.”

  “I wouldn’t put it quite that way.”

  “I would.”

  She lifted a brow. “Well, you would be wrong.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “So I ruined you for all other women?” she asked, crossing her arms again.

  “Yeah. I’m pretty sure.”

  Her eyes widened. “Now that makes me want space.”

  He shook his head and stepped toward her. “You can’t ruin me and then push me away.”

  “Oh, I think I can.”

  “That’s just cruel.”

  He stopped right in front of her. He didn’t touch her. But he saw her take a quick breath in. Her arms were still crossed, but she was watching him with wide eyes, her pupils dilated.

  “This can’t get serious,” she said quietly.

  “I know.”

  “We live too far apart.”

  “I know.”

  “And I’m… too young to be serious.”

  “I know.”

  “And I’m a vegetarian who doesn’t have a real job and collects cats.”

  Yeah, all of those life choices that made her happy that everyone had been judging and questioning and being concerned about. “I know.”

  “I just want to do my own thing. How I want to. When I want to. I don’t like explaining everything I do, and I don’t like defending my choices that don’t really have anything to do with anyone else and don’t hurt anyone.”

  Mitch felt his chest tighten again. A woman had never done that to him. Well, a woman he wanted to sleep with anyway. The women he loved—his cousins and aunts and grandmother—made him feel protective and like he wanted to fix things. But he’d never felt that way over a woman he was dating. Certainly not a woman he’d had a one-night stand with. Which was what Paige Asher was essentially.

  “I know,” he said again. “You shouldn’t have to explain yourself or defend your choices.”

  “So a long-distance relationship would be difficult,” she said. “You’d wonder what I was doing when we weren’t together. You might not like it if I went out with another guy. And I wouldn’t want to explain any of that either.”

  No, he really fucking wouldn’t like it if she went out with another guy. And no, it really wouldn’t be his damned business.

  He nodded. “You’re right about that too.”

  “Which part?” she asked.

  “All of it.”

  “You wouldn’t like it?”

  “Absolutely not.”

  Her expression was I knew it. “But I shouldn’t have to explain that. We would be seeing each other, what? Twice a year? Maybe?”

  He nodded. “You shouldn’t have to explain that.”

  “So it would be better to just not think this was anything more than a hookup while you’re in town with Tori.” She actually sounded a little sad about that.

  Which made sense to him. He definitely felt a little sad about it. Which was really dumb. What had he thought this could possibly be?

  “We should really get on with this hookup thing, then,” he said, reaching for her and catching the front of her sweatshirt in his fingers and pulling her up from the back of the couch.

  She went willingly, and he whipped her shirt over her head before bringing her in to kiss her. She slipped her hands under the edge of his t-shirt, running her hands up his sides and making his skin heat instantly. She traced her fingertips over the ridges of his abs, sliding up to his chest and then his shoulders, gripping them and using them for leverage to arch closer.

  Mitch let her go long enough to jerk his shirt over his head, then lifted her against him, feeling her breasts pressing into his chest.

  Her arms went around his neck, molding her to his body as he gripped her ass and walked them to the breakfast bar that separated the living room from the kitchen. He set her on the edge of the counter and pulled his mouth away to kiss down to the breast he’d left wet and needy when her sister had knocked.

  He sucked and licked, making her wiggle against him. Her fingers dug into his shoulders. Her pants and gasps heightening his own need.

  He tucked his fingers into the top of her yoga pants and started to slide them down.

  “Lift up, sweetheart.”

  She did, immediately—he really did love how compliant she was to his commands during sex—and he slid the pants down her legs.

  She didn’t wear panties with her yoga pants.

  He paused, studying her completely nude body.

  “Panties ride up and pinch,” she said as explanation.

  “I’m a huge fan of yoga, if I haven’t mentioned that before,” he said.

  She smirked. Then spread her legs farther. “Because of yoga, I have fantastic core control. Which includes my pelvic floor,” she informed him.

  “That might be the hottest thing anyone’s ever said to me,” he told her, stepping between her knees.

  She laughed. “That’s maybe a little sad.”

  He cupped her ass—he really loved her ass—and dragged his beard against her jaw. “Well, maybe I should explain that what I heard you say was Mitch, I can grip your cock and milk it with my pussy to the point it will make your eyes cross, and you might not be able to walk afterward.”

  He felt her throat work as she swallowed hard. “Well, when you put it that way…”

  He chuckled, kissing her neck, then biting down gently on the spot where it curved into her shoulder. “I mean, you can grip me like a fist with that sweet pussy, right, Paige?”

  “Oh… yeah,” she said, breathlessly.

  “Show me.” He moved his hand down along her thigh, then shifted his hips so he could move his hand to cup her, sliding his middle finger over her clit.

  She moaned and tipped her head back, moving her thighs even wider.

  She was so sexy. So open. Not just literally opening her legs, but in this, at least, she was willing to be vulnerable. She wasn’t trying to cover any part of her body or hide anything. She was bare naked on her kitchen counter with daylight spilling in through the big window across the room.

  Of course, she had nothing to worry about. She was gorgeous. Tight and trim, with lots of smooth, sweet skin and curves in all the right places.

  He circled her clit, loving the way she tried to get even closer to his touch. She braced one hand on the counter behind her, using it to lift and press closer. He lifted his head to watch her face as he teased her. She was so responsive. Hungry and greedy and yet had been so willin
g to please him in every way last time they’d been together as well.

  Watching her, he moved his hand so his thumb continued to rub that sweet spot as his thick middle finger slid into her.

  His knees nearly buckled. As if she were touching him. Her pussy was tight and so fucking hot. Wet. Sweet. She did, indeed, grip his finger as he pressed inside.

  Her throaty yes made his cock ache and he pumped his finger deeper.

  “Oh God, Mitch.”

  He added a second finger. “Show me that amazing core, girl,” he told her.

  Her head was back and her eyes closed, but she smiled at that. Then tightened her inner muscles around his finger.

  Damn. His cock was screaming mine. He wanted to plunge deep and hard. Then he wanted to fuck her slow and steady. He wanted to feel all of that sweet heat gripping and clenching around him.

  Just then there was a knock at the door.

  They both stiffened in shock.

  No. No. Not now. They couldn’t just leave her the hell alone?

  Her thighs instinctively started to close. Not that they could with him standing between them.

  He put his mouth to her ear. “You’re not going anywhere.”

  His finger was still buried inside her. He moved it in and out to remind her.

  “But…”

  “Shh…” he coached softly. “I can’t let you go, sweetheart. I can’t leave this sweet body like this. I need to feel you come apart.”

  Her pussy tightened around his finger. Yeah, she wanted this too.

  There was another knock.

  Her body stiffened but he stroked her—her back… and her pussy. “Ignore them. Concentrate on me.”

  Wow. That sounded pretty damned great. Certainly at this moment, but just in general. Maybe she just needed someone who could make her not think about them and their seemingly constant demands and “worry” that she was doing things wrong.

  He kept his mouth against her ear. “I love your body. I could lose myself in you for days.” He moved his fingers as he talked, feeling her body relax and soften around his fingers and against him.

  He thought he heard another knock, then he heard, “Paige!”

  “I want to make you come like this,” he said in her ear, circling her clit. He bent to take a nipple in is mouth, sucking hard as he pumped his fingers in and out. Then he said, “Then I want to turn you around, bend you over this counter, and fuck you from behind.”

  “Yes, I want that,” she said, her pussy tightening.

  Okay, good, she was with him.

  He put his mouth on hers. “But you have to stay quiet,” he told her. “Can you come quietly?” he asked, kissing her before letting her answer.

  “I don’t know,” she said, teasing back, even though her voice was ragged.

  “Let’s try it. I don’t mind if the world hears me make you come apart,” he confessed.

  “You can’t let up on me a little? So I don’t scream?”

  He loved that she was teasing him even as she was on the brink of an orgasm.

  “I can’t let up on you,” he said, shaking his head and looking into her eyes. “I need you dreaming about me when I’m not here.”

  She wet her lips. “I don’t think you have to worry.”

  He liked that. Too much. He gave her a wicked grin. “Prepare yourself for some very dirty Zoom calls.”

  Her cheeks actually got pink. She was bare-assed-naked on the kitchen counter with his hand in the most intimate place it could be, but she was blushing about the idea of a dirty Zoom call? He grinned.

  “That’s not really having space,” she pointed out.

  “Nope,” he agreed. He wanted zero space.

  He’d worry about that later.

  Then he circled her clit and she let out a lusty sigh. “Okay.”

  “Okay to the Zoom call? Or the quiet orgasm now?” He thrust his fingers deep.

  “Both.” Her eyes were shut again.

  “Deal.” Then he bent his knees, pulled her ass to the edge of the counter, and put his mouth on her clit, licking and sucking as he finger fucked her.

  “Oh, oh, oh…”

  He looked up. She was gripping the edge of the counter, her eyes shut, her bottom lip between her teeth.

  “Be quiet, sweetheart,” he coached with a grin.

  He had no idea if whoever had stopped by was still outside her door. And he didn’t care.

  He sucked on her clit again and curled his fingers and pumped in and out and suddenly her hand flew to his head, gripping his hair as her thighs tightened around him and her pussy clenched and she let out a long, but very soft, “Yessssss.”

  He released her clit with a gentle lick and then slowly eased his fingers from her body. He looked up at the most beautiful sight.

  She was leaning back, propped on her extended arm, her chest rising and falling with her rapid breaths. Her eyes were shut, her cheeks flushed, and she had a smile on her face.

  He rose and her eyes opened. She watched as he lifted his fingers to his mouth and licked the taste of her from them.

  “Wow, that’s dirty,” she said appreciatively.

  He just grinned. “You’re amazing.”

  “I’m—”

  Her phone started ringing.

  She stopped. Rolled her eyes. Sighed. And then laughed. “In trouble.”

  “That’s whoever was at the door?” he asked. Jesus, these people were relentless.

  She nodded. “Or my mother wondering why that person told her I wasn’t here.”

  She pushed him back and hopped to the floor, again grabbing her sweatshirt and pulling it on. It didn’t cover much. Definitely not the sweet ass he was obsessed with.

  Her phone stopped ringing.

  “So the bending you over the counter…” he said.

  She tossed him a mischievous look over her shoulder. “Well, you did talk about the whole delayed-satisfaction thing.” Her gaze dropped to his fly. “But I guess that’s more you than me at the moment.”

  He nodded, lowering his voice. “Maybe I should barricade the door, hide your phone, and put you on your knees.”

  Her breath hitched and her eyes heated. “Maybe…”

  Her phone started ringing again. With a sigh she reached for it. “Hello?”

  She paused, listening.

  “No, I’m fine, why?”

  Pause.

  “I couldn’t come to the door.”

  Pause. She looked at the ceiling.

  “Because I couldn’t. I don’t just sit around here waiting for one of you to stop by, you know.”

  She frowned as she listened to the reply.

  “Of course I know that.”

  She listened again, taking a deep breath. “Yes, I have plenty of eggs. Have him come back over.”

  She disconnected and gripped her phone tightly, before meeting Mitch’s gaze. “You want to hide in my bedroom closet this time? Since Amanda was already in there, my Uncle Tim won’t check in there when he stops by to install my new showerhead.”

  “You need a new shower head?” Mitch asked. “I could install—”

  “No,” she stopped him. “I don’t need a new showerhead. But that’s a good reason to check the bathroom for signs of a ‘guest’. My sisters already checked the other rooms.” She looked around. “I mean, everyone can see the living room.”

  Wow, these people would impress his family if he were being honest. All of this was Landry-level meddling.

  “Well, how about I head to the town’s square now?” he asked, pulling his shirt on. “That way I’m really not here and I have an alibi.”

  She smiled but sighed. “I really prefer you here without the shirt on.”

  “Ditto.”

  “But, yeah, okay.”

  “The square is close enough to walk to,” he said. “I’ll slip up the alley and won’t even need to move your car.”

  She frowned. “It’s really cold, Mitch. And you’ll need the toolbox, right?”

&n
bsp; He arched a brow. “I can carry a toolbox four blocks.”

  “But… it’s cold. You’ve got Louisiana blood. You might not make it a block before you’re an ice cube.”

  “Sweetheart—” He pulled her up against him and kissed her. “That Louisiana blood means I’ve got enough stubborn and cayenne in my system to keep me going for a long time in the cold.”

  She went on tiptoe to kiss him again, then said, “Well, maybe get a little cold so I can warm you up when you get back.”

  “I’ll never be too warm to not need you warming me up.” He squeezed her ass, then let her go, grabbing the coat he was borrowing and heading for the door. “If I swing by to see how Mike and Larry are doing too, would that give your family time to send everyone over that needs to stop by and check on you?”

  She narrowed her eyes and put her hands on her hips. “It’s bugging you that there’s work that needs to be done and you’re not helping, isn’t it?”

  “Well, I mean, it’s cold out, and those boys probably haven’t eaten enough gumbo in their day to counteract it.”

  She laughed. “Fair enough.” Then she nodded. “Yeah, I think Tim will stop by and then maybe my grandpa. He’ll want to check the furnace and be sure you did a good job.”

  Mitch paused with a hand on her doorknob. “Your grandpa can fix furnaces? Will he think it’s weird you didn’t just ask him in the first place?”

  She shook her head. “He’ll just roll his eyes and tell me that I don’t have to be so damned independent all the time and that I can ask family to help out and I don’t always have to hire help.”

  “You hire help instead of asking your family?” He immediately regretted the question and his raised eyebrows.

  She frowned. “I do. It’s my business and my apartment. I can handle taking care of it.”

  “You’re an independent little thing, aren’t you?”

  She lifted her chin. “I am.”

  “Noted.”

  He was not used to that. Everyone he knew leaned on everyone else he knew. That was just the way of it. But everyone helped everyone out. Each person did their part. If someone couldn’t fix a furnace, they could sure as hell make an amazing étouffée, or would help with plumbing or painting, or would do your laundry. Or they might just tell you when you needed to pull your head out of your ass when you needed it. Which was, honestly, a lot more helpful than being able to fix a furnace. Anyway, it wasn’t as if anyone was a freeloader or getting away with anything.