by Natalie Ann
It didn’t matter because her legs came up and wrapped around his hips when her back arched. She was coming again and he was lost in how she had no inhibitions and just let herself go.
And that meant he could do the same.
He leaned forward on his hands, his palms planted firmly by her head, his mouth going to hers, his hips pounding into her to the point he wasn’t sure if he was having an out of body experience or not.
He hoped not because if he never felt this way again he wanted to remember every minute of it.
His body was shaking and jerking as he came, her legs had fallen down and she was lying there breathing heavily again. This time he felt like he was the one that was sprinting up the mountain.
“Damn,” he said, rolling and putting her on top of him.
“Sorry to make you work so hard for it. I told you I was good.”
He laughed. “But you’re better now that I did work that hard, aren’t you?”
“I am,” she said. “I really am.”
12
Damn Proud
They were in the kitchen now, Brian with a beer in front of him, her with a glass of wine. If given the option, Robin might have suggested they stay in her bed for the night and screw dinner.
But the dogs needed to be fed and let out too and she’d promised him food.
She had to say she was damn proud of herself for taking what she wanted.
It’d taken a lot of courage for her to work herself up to doing that. The devil on her shoulder pretty much punted the angel back into church and locked the doors.
She hoped the angel stayed there for a bit now.
“Are you hungry?” she asked. “I know I’m starving. What a workout that was. I feel like I’m so out of shape.”
“You’re in great shape,” he said. “Yes, I’m hungry. Anything I can help with?”
“Nope. You can sit there and keep me company. I was just going to make some burgers. I put together a potato salad earlier. I hope that is okay.”
“That’s perfect for me.”
“I just thought it was an easy meal. I’d rather spend more time with you than cooking and cleaning up.”
“I’m a champion patty maker,” he said when she pulled the ground beef out. “Let me at least do that for you.”
“Sure.” She grabbed some spices and then mixed the meat up, pushing it over to him to form some patties while she grabbed a pan. “I’m just going to get a nice sear on the outside of them and then pop them in the oven to finish.”
“That works for me. So, are you happy?” he asked.
She turned and got a look at the first patty he’d made. “Those are huge.”
“I worked up one heck of an appetite. I’ll make a smaller one for you. Anyway, you didn’t answer my question. Are you happy?”
“I am. I’m happy in general, I think. But tonight, I’m ecstatic.”
“Then I did my job and my reward is a big fat juicy burger.”
Robin laughed. She never had fun conversations like this with men before. She had to stop comparing Brian to anyone, least of all Alex, but it was so hard.
Though she hadn’t been a virgin when she met Alex, their sex life left a lot to be desired. Prior to him, kind of the same thing. She wasn’t sure if the connection wasn’t there with those men, or it was just so strong with Brian.
And it didn’t matter at this point either. She had something with Brian and she was more than happy with it. Not just the physical, but the emotional connection too.
Though she was going to keep that all in check.
There was no reason to rush into anything. Sex was one thing. Falling in love another.
She didn’t want to admit that in a few short weeks she was pretty sure she was gliding headlong into love with Brian Dawson as if she were on a slip and slide and out of control.
That would probably scare him away and then earn her another lecture from her parents about jumping too fast.
She wasn’t stupid though. She knew how she felt. She was just keeping it to herself.
“I could give you another reward later tonight,” she said, batting her eyelashes at him.
“Something in your eye?” he asked.
Robin snorted. She knew he was picking on her. “You’re no fun.”
“I can prove you wrong on that front later if you want.”
“I want. I want that a lot.”
And when dinner was done, the dogs fed and played with, Brian went out to his car and brought in a bag with him. “I didn’t want to bring this in right away. I had no idea if you’d change your mind and didn’t want this to put unwanted stress on you.”
“No. I’ve known what I wanted for a while. It’s all working out.”
“I want to say just like you planned, but I’m the one who came here with a housewarming gift that night.”
“You are. And it saved me from having to think of another reason to go see you. It’s not like I was going to commit a crime to hire you again. I do need to make a will. That would have been a good excuse.”
“No excuses needed.”
“Can you do my will though?” she asked. “Or is that a conflict of interest?”
“I can do it. It’s not like you are naming me as a beneficiary, so it’s not a big deal. But if you’d prefer, Molly can do it for you.”
“No, you can. I think I’d rather not go to anyone else. I’m still trying to be as private as I can about what happened.”
“A will can be pretty generic. You don’t need to list your assets or the values of anything.”
“I’m simple. It’s all going to my brother Rick, then my parents.”
“Then I can start it for you this week. No worries. Are we done talking shop?”
“We are,” she said. “How about a movie? It’s early yet. Barely seven at this point. Or we can go back upstairs. I’m not sure the amount of stamina you’ve got.”
“Very cute,” he said. “But I’ve got my limits too. I’m all for a movie before bed.”
“I’ve got this great chick flick I’ve been dying to see with Sandra Bullock.” She turned to see his reaction. His smile was still in place but his eyes lost some of the shine and she started to laugh. “I’m just joking. There’s a new Dwayne Johnson movie I want to check out.”
“Oh, so you want to look at his body?” he said.
“Every woman wants to look at The Rock’s body. That’s a given.”
“I’m starting to feel inferior here.”
“Looking and wanting are two different things. I want something that is real, not something that is unattainable.”
“Bet his wife didn’t think he was unattainable,” he said.
“Are you kidding me? She’s just as beautiful as him. They were made for each other. I wouldn’t want all those eyes on me for being with someone like that, or being that pretty.”
“You’re gorgeous,” he said to her. “Inside and out. That’s more than surface and anyone who ever told you differently doesn’t deserve to be in your life.”
“There is the smooth talking lawyer that I haven’t seen before.”
“You don’t believe me?” he asked. “I’m telling you the truth.”
“I believe you,” she said. She started to realize that she might believe anything he said to her and that was almost more dangerous.
Brian didn’t like how Robin got down on herself at times.
He didn’t see it often, but when he did he wanted to nip it in the bud.
Her ex did a number on her. He knew. He witnessed it firsthand.
And though he didn’t want to treat her with kid gloves, he never wanted her to doubt herself over anything either.
“Good. I want you to. I don’t make a habit of lying.”
“Neither do I. I think everyone does at some point in their life. Little white lies are okay. Big whopping ones are just hurtful.”
And she’d know that. She’d been hurt enough too. “Don’t ever worry about me. If you want
the truth on anything, ask. I’ll always give it to you.”
She reached for his hand and threaded their fingers together, then pulled him to the couch and cuddled into his side. It was a vulnerable move but made him feel almost as big as The Rock in that moment too.
Wasn’t that what he’d always wanted to feel with a woman? That he could be their rock.
“Let’s watch our movie,” she said, picking up the remote. Then she jumped up. “Oh, we need popcorn. You can’t have a movie without popcorn.”
She moved into the kitchen and got out an air popper. “I haven’t seen one of them in years.”
“I don’t like microwave popcorn. I’ve got flavored salts too. Caramel is my favorite. What do you like? I’ve got like eight of them.”
“Caramel is good for me,” he said. He loved how she was a little homemaker when so many her age weren’t.
She might be several years younger than him, but no one would know it.
Once the popcorn was in a big bowl, the two of them were under the blanket, the puppies had been behaving but decided they didn’t want to be on their bed as much as they wanted to join the two of them snuggling.
Luke jumped up first and Robin put him on the floor. Then Leia did it next so he put her down. The dogs went back and forth doing it until the two of them were laughing. “I think it might be best to just let them stay up here if you don’t mind.”
“They seem like they are used to being here,” he said, tugging at her hair.
“Guilty. I thought I could hide that little fact because they’ve been so good, but the secret is out of the bag.”
“Do they sleep on your bed?” he asked, wondering if he’d have to fight for space.
“No. They stay down here. I don’t want them out of the crates at night until I know they are housebroken. We aren’t there yet.”
“How often are you getting up to let them out?” he asked petting Leia. She always ended up with him and Luke with Robin.
“Just once and not even every night. If I hear them whining or barking, I get up and come down, but normally they sleep through the night. I just get up early and let them out. No use making them hold it too long. I wouldn’t want to and their bladders are much smaller.”
“You’re a good mom,” he said.
“I want to be someday. I guess I’m practicing on the dogs. Do you want kids?”
“I do. I’ll know when the timing is right and with who,” he said. If he was thinking she might be the one he was keeping it to himself for the moment.
“Yeah, same here,” she said, then gave him a kiss and started the movie.
It was better that way. No reason to get any deeper into that conversation.
13
Just Selective
“Are you sure you don’t mind eating twice today?” Robin asked as Brian drove them to Glens Falls and her parents’ house for Thanksgiving.
They’d been dating a month now and it was going great in her eyes. Better than great. Maybe fast, but in some ways not fast enough.
She’d never felt this much for someone in such a short period of time and though she had to keep telling herself to dial it back, she wondered why she needed to.
It wasn’t as if Brian seemed like he would scare easily. And wasn’t he always willing to come over and stay the night? Almost every weekend he’d been staying Friday and sometimes Saturday.
She hadn’t seen his house yet; they hadn’t really had time. Or maybe he didn’t want her to see it? She wasn’t sure.
“It’s not a problem,” he said. “I’ve got a big appetite.”
“I appreciate you driving and being okay with the dogs in the car. They do like riding and I’m glad they won’t be locked up all day. It was nice of your parents to include them, but I’m nervous they might get into trouble or make a mess. We can bring them home before we go there. I’m okay with that.”
“No,” he said, looking over at her and then in the backseat where Luke and Leia were both in doggie car seats, each looking out the window on their respective sides. “My parents love dogs. They love other people’s dogs more. They are excited to meet you and thrilled to get some puppy time. Or maybe my father is. I’m sure if I remember correctly he always had a dog on his lap.”
“Your mother is a retired nurse and your father still owns an insurance firm?” she asked. “I want to make sure I remember it all.”
“Yes. And don’t worry if you don’t.”
“But I do worry. I want to make a good impression. Meena’s salon is called Pulse. And Troy owns his family plumbing and heating company?”
“Yes to both,” he said, reaching his hand over and patting her leg. “Relax.”
“Do you remember what my parents do?” she asked.
He laughed. “Your father is an electrician and your mother is an accountant at a law firm.”
“Correct,” she said primly. “We are just regular old middle class.”
Which was what surprised so many people when Alex pursued her. He was a patient at her dentist’s office and she’d cleaned his teeth.
He flirted and he was nice and he asked her out. She’d thought it was a joke at first, but he insisted it wasn’t.
That first date they’d had—he’d made her feel special. He laid on the charm. He made her laugh.
He wasn’t trying to show off with his wealth the way she’d thought he might, but it was always there in the back of her mind, from the car he drove, to the clothes he wore, to the Rolex on his wrist.
She never felt like she fit in his world and remembered how stressed she was over meeting his parents, fearing they wouldn’t think she was good enough.
Instead they thought she’d center Alex. Guess everyone was wrong.
“Same here,” he said.
But they weren’t the same in her mind. Her father was a blue collar worker and though he made a decent wage and her mother had a good job, they weren’t in Brian’s parents’ class either. Not someone who owned his own business. One that was large and well known in the Capital Region.
“It will be good though,” she said. “Just my parents and us. My mother’s parents live in Florida. They normally try to come up at Christmas. I’m close with my grandpa. My father’s parents aren’t with us anymore.”
“My grandparents are all gone too,” he said. “My parents are older than yours.”
It wasn’t a long drive to get to her parents and she was bummed about that. Though Brian didn’t seem nervous, she was. She’d been talking about him to her parents for weeks and she knew her father was going to be more stern than normal after her divorce. But she’d insisted Brian was nothing like Alex.
“It’s the third house on the right. The white one,” she said.
Brian pulled in. “Did you grow up here? It’s a nice area.”
“I did. Not a development like so many live in now. Myself included. But a nice neighborhood. There were always kids around running up and down the streets. Rick had a lot more friends than I did.”
“I’m sure you had plenty. I bet you were just selective.”
She turned to look at him, tilted her head and said, “Yeah. I am.”
He shut his SUV off and got out, opened the back door and grabbed Luke’s leash and she did the same on her side with Leia, then walked over and went to grab both. “No. I can walk Luke in. He’s starting to like me more.”
“He is. He’s not glued to my side anymore.” She looked down and saw Leia jumping on Brian’s leg. “Though this little girl still only wants you. I’m starting to feel left out.”
“You should be happy they like me so much. I know I’m thrilled they don’t want to destroy my shoes or pee on my legs when I’m over.”
“Never,” she said.
They moved to the front door. “Are you forgetting something?” he asked.
“Oh. The pies. Here take the leash.”
He laughed at her. Guess there was a reason he was trying to do it. And she was more ruffled than she shou
ld be coming to a holiday dinner at her own parents’ house.
The front door opened and her father was standing there, crouching down, the puppies running toward him. “Boy, they are getting big.”
“They are,” she said. “Dad, this is Brian Dawson. Brian, my father Randy Masters.”
“Nice to meet you,” Brian said shaking hands.
“Good firm handshake. Better than the last one,” her father said.
Instead of scowling she started to laugh. Her father always said to never trust a man with a weak handshake. She’d thought he was kidding, but he was right.
“Ignore my father,” she said. “I think he’s going to try to be all tough and hard today to make sure you aren’t after my money.”
Her father’s jaw dropped. “Robin,” he said. “That’s a little tacky.”
“The truth can be,” she said and moved past him.
Brian followed her in, her father unclipping the dogs. They took off running as they’d been here before and enjoyed the visit.
She walked into the kitchen, knowing Brian was by her side. “Mom, this is Brian Dawson. Brian, my mother Nikki.”
“Nice to meet you too,” he said, reaching his hand out.
“Oh. You’re much taller than I thought,” her mother said.
“And stronger too,” her father said. Oh my God, this was so embarrassing.
“I’m so sorry, Brian. I didn’t expect my parents to be this way.”
“It’s fine. They are protective of you and there is nothing wrong with that. They also know I’m aware of more of your past than anyone else other than them. And though I don’t know it all and don’t need to, it’s still there.” He turned to look at them. “I only see Robin when I’m with her. She is all I care about. Not what she has. Where she’s been. Or who she was before she met me. Least of all who she was married to.”
She felt her eyes start to fill. “Thank you,” she said, turning and giving him a kiss on the lips. “Happy now, Mom and Dad?”
Her mother was smiling; her father just nodded his head. “How about a beer?” her father said.