Sweetest Temptations

by J.C. Valentine

  Time dragged while Kennedy studied me, and I stared back at him, hoping he’d see how desperate I was and put me out of my misery. If he left me hanging, I honestly thought I would lose my mind. Sex wasn’t the be all end all, but after the drought I’d been in, being naked with a man like Kennedy and so close to actually committing the act was something a person couldn’t be expected to come back from easily.

  While I silently pleaded for him to have mercy on me, Kennedy seemed to reach a decision. “Okay, sweet, we’ll do this your way.” Lowering his head, his lips parted over mine, surprising me with a kiss so deep and passionate, it made my toes curl. Then I felt him guide his cock into me, and my brain scrambled.

  There was no telling where one of us began and the other ended. We were so wrapped up in each other, that it felt as if we had become one person. The feel of Kennedy moving inside me, stretching me, was erotic. I’d never come from sex itself, but something about sex with him thrilled me, sending my emotions rocketing toward the sky. My nails dug into his back as I held on tight, afraid that if I let go, I would somehow lose myself to the world.

  “Harder,” I panted, burying my face in the side of his neck. Kennedy obeyed, slamming into me so hard he knocked the breath from my lungs. Reaching so deep, I felt a twinge of pain in my stomach. And still I wanted him to go harder. Grabbing, licking, and nipping his sweaty skin, I felt wild in his arms, and Kennedy must have sensed it.

  Pulling out, I was ready to complain over the loss, when he flipped me onto my stomach and lifted my hips. And then he was inside of me again. The pleasure I felt ripped out of me as a scream, echoing throughout the room. No doubt, the neighbors were getting an earful, but I couldn’t bring myself to care.

  Grabbing a fistful of my hair, Kennedy yanked my head back as he continued to pound into me. With my head craned back, it was difficult to breathe, and my scalp burned, but as Kennedy reached around and rubbed my clit, it all came together to create something so mind-blowingly perfect that my vision grew hazy.

  “Oh. Ken. Yes.” Each word that left me was thrust from my throat with each powerful slam of his hips. His grunts melded with my huffs and pleasured cries, and I felt him begin to thicken, tightening our connection and calling forth my own release.

  Kennedy’s fingers rubbed faster, and I focused all of my attention there. When I came, it felt as if a bomb had been detonated inside of me. My skin seemed to shrink, the pressure in my head expanded, and then it all blew apart, leaving me a limp, empty shell.

  Together, we collapsed onto the bed, Kennedy’s weight on my back crushing me. I took short, labored breaths as I tried to pull the shattered pieces of myself back together, but I said nothing, because I loved the way it felt to be surrounded by all that muscle. I loved knowing that I had the power to do this to him, to reduce someone like Kennedy to this state. When he finally rolled off me, I felt the loss deep in my chest.

  Flipping over, I watched Kennedy tiredly remove the condom, tie it off, and toss it on the floor. His eyes remained closed, his arm hanging limp over the side of the bed, and from his deep, even breaths, I was pretty certain he had already fallen asleep.

  “Ken?” I whispered, testing my theory. After the long day he’d had, I wasn’t surprised when he didn’t move. Gathering the blankets bunched at the bottom of the bed, I pulled them up, covering both of us. Curling up against his side, I tilted my head back and placed a soft kiss on the underside of his jaw, careful not to disturb him. “Goodnight, Ken.”

  9

  I’d never slept better in my life than I had sleeping in Kennedy’s arms. As I awoke the next morning and stretched, feeling achy in all the right places, I knew I was alone in the bed, but I could still feel Kennedy’s presence nearby. Taking a minute to soak in the memories of the previous night, a pleased smile began to take shape. I could spend every day just like this, in bed, naked, making love with a hot guy, and shutting out the rest of the world.

  It was with that thought, that I remembered what day it was and where I was supposed to be.

  “Shit!” Bolting upright, I wrestled with the blankets as I leapt from the bed. The sheet clung to my ankles as if it had sprouted tentacles, and despite my best efforts, I went down. My knees banged hard on the floor, causing me to cry out, and I angrily kicked the material away before scrambling to my feet once again.

  It was Monday and I had overslept. Judging by the level of light pouring into the room, it was mid-morning and I should already be at the bakery with the ovens blazing.

  As I rifled through my dresser for something to wear, Kennedy came rushing in from the bathroom. The fact that he was bare ass naked was definitely a distraction that I couldn’t afford right now. “I heard yelling. What’s wrong?”

  Underwear and bra in hand, I turned to him with wild eyes. “I need to leave. I’m late for work.” Allowing myself a brief moment to appreciate the view, my gaze traveled over his body, starting with his feet and moving up. As I lingered on his manhood, nestled in a thick patch of dark hair, it grew before my eyes, and I felt a twinge of regret that I wouldn’t be able to stick around and play awhile.

  Kennedy was all man. A fine dusting of hair covered a body that was cut with thick slabs of muscle that only came with hard work. He wasn’t a meathead, and he didn’t have the body of a gym rat, but I could easily see him climbing mountains and running woodsy trails. He was Hugh Jackman in a fireman’s suit.

  When Kennedy took a step toward me, dark intent flickering in his eyes, I shook my head clear. “Is that my toothbrush?” In his mouth, I recognized the pink soft-bristled brush and, surprisingly, didn’t feel the least bit disgusted that it was in his mouth. Instead, I had the insane urge to scrub my own teeth.

  Pulling the toothbrush free, he held it up. White foam leaked from the corners of his mouth as he spoke. “I forgot to pack my overnight bag. Do you mind?”

  “After the things we did last night? Have at it.”

  Resuming his tooth brushing, he winked at me and headed back into the bathroom. Quickly, I gathered a pair of jeans and maroon top from the closet and rushed in after him. “Sorry, I don’t mean to invade your privacy, but I have to get ready. Right now.” There was no time for modesty, and he had seen it all anyway. Throwing back the shower curtain, I twisted the water on to high and stepped inside.

  My head was already under the spray when I heard Kennedy talking over the noise of the rushing water. “Your male friend stopped by earlier when you didn’t show up to work.”

  I only had one male friend, so there was no need for deduction. “Dex?” I scrubbed shampoo into my hair, cursing myself. Dex was probably equal parts worried and pissed that I hadn’t showed. “What did he want?”

  “Just checking to make sure you were still alive, but as soon as he saw me, he said to tell you not to worry about coming in today. He said he could handle things at the shop.”

  Whipping the curtains back, I stuck my head out, wiping my hands over my forehead to keep dripping soap from getting in my eyes. “What? He thinks he can run the shop by himself?” There was no way. Dexter was a great salesman, which was why I’d decided to hire him. In one day, he’d managed to nearly double my revenue. The women absolutely loved him, but I was the one with the baking skills. Who was going to run the ovens? Who was going to make sure the shelves were stocked?

  Leaning back against the countertop, Kennedy shrugged. “He seemed pretty confident that he could.”

  My eyes widened. “Dex is always confident. The place could burn down to the ground and he would be confident that he could sell the charred remains by the end of the day. I have to get down there.” Ducking back under the spray, I began rising the soap from my hair.

  “I was hoping we could spend the day together,” Kennedy called out, and I pulled back the curtains again to make sure I had heard him right.

  “Excuse me?”

  “I have the next two days off. I was hoping we could spend some more time together and get to know one another more.”<
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  I blinked several times as his words sank in. Of all the dates I’d had, I’d never been on a second one. A fact that was true until Kennedy arrived. In less than a week, he’d broken my sex drought record, and now he was saying he was interested in getting to know me better. Damn, I really liked this guy. My heart thumped harder in my chest. “You want to spend time with me?”

  “As much as you’ll let me.” His smile was devastating. Had I been wearing panties, I would have handed them over on the spot. But I was as naked as the day I was born. A fact I was becoming increasingly aware of the longer we stared into each other’s eyes.

  “Well, then, I—Ow! Ow, oh my God. Soap in my eyes!” I yelled. My eyes squeezed shut and I rubbed them frantically, but there was no escaping the terrible burn. I was blind and in pain and as I groped around for a towel, I felt strong arms wrap around me.

  “Let’s rinse your eyes,” Kennedy said, urging me back under the showerhead. I screeched, my body arching away violently as the ice cold water hit my chest and stomach. My ten minutes were up.

  “It’s too cold!” I shouted, but Kennedy’s firm chest pressing against my back forced me forward.

  “Just put your face in the water and open your eyes.”

  His calm, measured voice in my ear registered above my shocked senses, and I took a deep, steadying breath as I followed his directions. Within seconds, the burning subsided.

  “There’s a good girl. All better?” he asked. I grunted in response. I was still freezing and, even though the burning was gone, it felt as if someone had thrown sand in my eyes. They were dry and scratchy and not the least bit comfortable.

  Gathering my hair in his hands, Kennedy pressed down until I was bent forward with my head under the spray. Despite the frigid temperatures, I marveled in the feeling of his fingers in my hair, and it dawned on me. This was the second time Kennedy had taken care of me. He must have been freezing too, but he wasn’t complaining. Instead, he was sticking around to make sure I was okay. As the shampoo was rinsed away, a sudden surge of emotion struck me, and I knew—this man could destroy me.

  A knot formed in my chest and, with sharp movements, I shut the water off. “Thank you.” I retrieved towels for both of us. As we stepped out of the shower and dried off, I avoided eye contact and got dressed. Being the gentleman that he was, Kennedy didn’t press to know what was wrong, though I could tell he sensed the change in me.

  I wasn’t even sure what I would say if he did ask. I was worried and confused but, most of all, I was scared. I'd never been in a serious, committed relationship before, and something told me that this thing with Kennedy could be headed in that direction.

  The conversation from last night roared in my ears and, as I combed the tangles from my hair, I looked up at him. “What do you expect from this?” I asked, turning the question back on him.

  Scooping his clothes up from the bedroom floor, I watched as Kennedy dressed himself. When he was done, he came to stand in front of me, his blue eyes piercing in their intensity. “I don’t expect anything, Abby. In my experience, expectations are what ruin a relationship. They put too much pressure on both parties.”

  I felt my eyes narrow and the hand holding the brush dropped to my side. “Then what do you want? What is going on here?”

  “We’re getting to know each other,” he said simply. “We’re figuring out what each other are all about and if we like what we see. As for me, I want to have a good time. I want to have fun, and if it turns into something more, all the better.”

  I didn’t even know what to make of that. It was such a lackadaisical response. He wanted to have a good time? I was all for a good time, but it sounded like that was all he was in it for. “What about commitment?”

  “Labels aren’t really my thing, but if you’re asking if I would sleep with other women while we’re seeing each other, the answer is no. I believe in monogamy. Do you?”

  “Yes.” I didn’t even have to think about it. I was a one man woman.

  “Good, then I don’t see a problem here. Do you?” His eyes held mine, almost as if he were challenging me. To what? Say that I didn’t agree with him? To force him to call me his girlfriend? He’d basically called us fuck buddies, and while I wasn’t performing somersaults over the idea, wasn’t that what all relationships boiled down to? Two people coming to an understanding that they would hang out, be exclusive, and give each other pleasure. Did we really need a verbal contract or labels to reinforce it?

  “No,” I finally answered, and was rewarded by that sexy smile of his.

  Tipping his chin up, he motioned to the bathroom. “Finish getting ready and I’ll take you out to breakfast.”

  “I can’t. I have to get to work. There’s so much baking to be done, and I’m already behind.”

  “That’s right, you are. So being a little later won’t make much difference. I’m taking you to breakfast, and afterward we’ll go to the shop and I’ll help you in the kitchen.” I shot him a disbelieving look, and Kennedy’s eyebrow lifted. Picking up a wet clump of my hair that had been resting on my shoulder, he pinched it between his fingers, and I felt water droplets soak through the front of my shirt.

  “You’ve already seen that I know how to work a kitchen, so unless you’re trying to get rid of me, there’s no use complaining.” He lowered his head, his lips grazing mine as he spoke. “Are you trying to get rid of me, Abigail?”

  My stomach fluttered and I closed my eyes, inhaling the fresh scent of mint on his breath. “No.”

  “That’s what I thought.” Grabbing my face in both hands, he crushed his mouth down on mine, slipped his tongue inside, and teased a moan from deep within me. And then he set me away. Turning me in the direction of the bathroom, he said, “Now, go get ready. You have ten minutes, and then I’m coming in to get you.”

  Glancing over my shoulder, I caught the heat flaring in his eyes and knew what his warning really meant. As I sauntered into the bathroom, we both knew I wasn’t making it out on time.

  10

  My underwear were soaked. Sitting in a booth made of cheap red vinyl, every move I made was advertised for the entire restaurant to hear. I shifted again, grimacing as the seat creaked beneath me.

  “Something wrong?” Kennedy’s devilish little smirk said he knew exactly what was wrong, and I longed to reach across the table and smack him. Or kiss him. I was torn.

  At the apartment, I’d taken my sweet time getting ready, just to see if Kennedy would make good on his threat. He hadn’t disappointed. I was halfway through blow drying my hair when he appeared behind me in the mirror. One look was all he gave me, and then I found myself face down on the counter, my boobs smashed against the Formica and my jeans around my ankles as he pumped into me from behind.

  Kennedy was an animal. I’d never been with someone so sexual, or so open about it. He took me a second time on the middle of the bathroom floor, then, after setting us both right again, he took my hand and led me out.

  Now, here we sat, in the middle of an iHop, surrounded by families with children, and I could literally smell sex in the air. It clung to me like expensive perfume, a problem that was compounded by the bodily fluids steadily soaking through my clothes. This was precisely why people took showers after sex—to avoid ruining perfectly good furniture.

  “Everything’s great,” I said with a tight smile. “Why do you ask?”

  “Because you haven’t sat still since we got here, and you look like you’re ready to bolt. Do you have something you want to tell me?”

  “Only that when a girl says she needs to freshen up, you should consider listening to her instead of rushing her out the door. I can smell you all over me.”

  A satisfied smile spread across his face, and, Lord help me, I could feel the flames of desire beginning to grow in response. My sex clenched, and I felt a fresh rush of wetness between my thighs.

  “I can smell me all over you, too.” Kennedy leaned forward, and I found myself unable to look away. �
��And I can smell you all over me. I love it. It makes me want to bend you over this table and fuck you all over again.”

  I’m pretty sure my face took on every hue of red possible, but somehow, I managed to stay strong in the face of seduction. Sitting back in my seat, I stared back coolly. “Are you threatening me again? Because I don’t think you have the balls to pull off something like that in the middle of a family restaurant.”

  “I don’t make threats, Abigail, and I have a lot more balls than you might think.”

  I could see it in his eyes, Kennedy was serious. He’d taken my words as a challenge—a challenge that called to something deeper within me. Something daring and perverse that itched to push the boundaries of common sense and see if what he said was true. In the end, common sense won out. Something inside of me told me that Kennedy was just looking for an excuse, and he wasn’t the type to back down. If I pushed him, he would rise to the occasion… in more ways than one.

  Looking down at my menu, I took my time figuring out what I wanted to eat. By the time the waitress came around to take our order, the sexual tension that had built up between us had gone down considerably.

  “So what kind of things will we be cooking up today?” Kennedy asked. Reaching across the table, he played with the tips of my fingers, rolling them between his.

  I shrugged. “The usual suspects. Cookies, brownies, muffins. My plan was to introduce one new recipe a week to keep the selection fresh, but I haven’t pinned one down yet.” Between dinner dates and recent sexual escapades, I hadn’t had much time to sit down and map anything out. It was something I knew couldn’t become a pattern. If Kennedy was going to stick around a while, I needed to buckle down and make sure things got done. There was no way in hell I would let my fledgling business falter over a man.

  “If you’re not sure what you want to do, I might have a couple of suggestions for you.”