All That Charm: (A Morning Glory Novel Book 3)

by Liz Talley

“No, but I thought I would remind you I’m always hungry.” Johnny’s gold tooth winked as he cackled. “Where to? The marina?”

  “No. Eden’s tired. Head to—” He turned to Eden, who bit the corner of her lip, looking suddenly serious. “Where do you live again?”

  She pulled her gaze from the softly lit bar in the limo. “Did you say Soph was with your mom?”

  He nodded as hope stirred inside him. Was she suggesting . . .

  “How about we go to your place? Mine is, well, to be honest, I have a bit of an insect problem and I set off a bomb earlier today. Gross, I know. Those dang roaches really could survive a nuclear holocaust. I hoped for a”—she swallowed—“uh, sleepover?”

  Johnny cackled again and started the car. “I guess I know where we’re headin.’”

  The glass slid up as Johnny pulled the car from the curb, passing huge houses from days of old that were nestled in lush foliage beneath the spread of the ancient oaks. Nick turned to Eden, who was the color of the tomato gazpacho. So endearing. “We don’t have to rush this, Eden. I didn’t expect you . . . to go home with me. I’m not the sort of guy who—”

  “Hush,” she said, grabbing his hand and curling hers around it. “I know what sort of man you are. In fact, I’ve been waiting a very long time for a man like you. You have no idea how long.”

  Nick pulled her into his arms and dropped an almost chaste kiss on her mouth. With her face upturned to his, he felt his heart slam against his ribs. It was like a jolt, and he remembered he’d felt that way before. With Susan. He’d tumbled head over heels in an obvious, foolish, I’ll-do-anything-for-you way almost ten years before. Did he want to go there again? And wasn’t it way too fast to feel the way he did about Eden?

  Of course, they’d been dancing around this for almost a month and a half now. Wasn’t necessarily dating, but on some level it was much more intimate. He’d had friends who’d been friends with their wives before they’d started going out, and he always wondered about it. Where was the passion? Where was the smack of desire that slammed into you and turned you in a raving lunatic? But perhaps there was something to knowing someone before falling in . . .

  Love?

  No. He wasn’t there, but he knew he was close to the edge. For once, it didn’t feel dangerous. He felt like he could dive off, arms flung wide, embracing something good for the first time in years. Eden made him feel again, and he reveled in it. It had been so long . . .

  “You’re pretty special, you know that?” he said, staring into those soft eyes.

  “I’d disagree, but you’re a guy who gets things right.” She smiled, and a small dimple creased her cheek. She looked so lovely ensconced in his arms.

  “Good girl,” he said, pressing his mouth against hers. She tasted better than anything he’d had at Commander’s that night. In .009 seconds. the kiss grew hot . . . hotter . . . on fire.

  “Mmm,” Eden said, her hands plunging into his hair as she pulled him tighter to her. “You taste good. You make me want to be a little bad tonight.”

  He groaned, letting his hands caress the length of her back. Snagging the hem of her dress, he stroked the firm dancer legs he’d admired before he even knew she was a dancer. Supple flesh, smooth as a baby’s bottom. He slid around to the back of her thigh, brushing the curve of her ass.

  Eden ripped her mouth from his, her breathing erratic. She started unbuttoning his shirt, dropping kisses at the base of his throat. “And you smell so good. How can you smell so good?”

  “Bathing regularly.” He grinned as he fingered the fabric snug against her chest. “Where’s the zipper on this thing?”

  “No zipper.” She nuzzled his neck, making him want to toss her on the seat, hike up her skirt, and plunge into her right then and there. She made him crazy and he loved it.

  “No zipper? Buttons?”

  Her hands slid down his side, moving toward his belt. “I just pull it over my head.”

  He found her panties, sliding his hand beneath the elastic, clasping the full lobe of her ass. Just as he dipped his head to kiss the wild pulse at the base of her throat, the car ground to a halt.

  “We made it,” she panted, loosening her hold.

  Nick blinked. “Not quite, darling. But we’ll get there.”

  Eden had set the roach bomb off that morning in her apartment so she wouldn’t chicken out on going home with Nick. It wasn’t as if she didn’t want to be with him, she did. But having sex was a big step for her. A huge step for her. Though she knew deep down in her bones Nick was the right man to . . . make her a woman, she still felt jittery. Make her a woman. That sounded really archaic. Like the Gary Puckett records her old neighbor used to blare. This girl is a woman now.

  Jeez.

  In the moonlight, Nick’s house didn’t look the same. Somehow it seemed magical . . . Or perhaps she’d had too much to drink.

  Nick opened the car door before the chauffer could come around. Before he stepped out, he straightened his pants and pulled loose his shirttail to disguise his arousal. A nervous giggle at the teenager action threatened, but she quelled it as he extended his hand.

  “Thank you,” she said in a surprisingly husky Marilyn Monroe voice as she stepped out.

  His answer was a fast, hard kiss.

  Turning, he settled whatever he needed to settle with Johnny. Eden stood in the drive, looking up at the moon, trying to coast on the desire that had swamped her in the limo and not let nerves overtake her.

  The night had been absolutely perfect. When she’d seen Nick standing in the hallway outside the dressing room, wearing a light blue button-down beneath a perfectly tailored jacket, her heart had dropped to her toes. That gorgeous man was her date. And what a date it was. From the champagne kisses in the back of the limo to the luxurious treat of sitting at the chef’s table at Commander’s Palace to more champagne kisses on the way to Nick’s house, it was a perfectly scripted night to remember.

  And it wasn’t over.

  Nick slapped the end of the car as Johnny drove off, then turned. “You sure about this?”

  “You trying to talk me out of a sleepover at your house?”

  “Define sleepover. Are we going to paint our nails and braid each other’s hair?” Nick said, looping his arms around her waist and pulling her to him.

  “Is that your idea of foreplay?” Eden said with a smile.

  Nick grinned down at her. “Do you think it should be my idea of foreplay? That could explain a lot. I mean, if that’s what you girls have been expecting all this time . . .”

  For some reason Eden didn’t want to admit she didn’t know what girls expected in foreplay. She’d dated Clem Aiken, who had seemed to be knowledgeable in the art of seduction. He’d almost reached home plate with her, so it wasn’t like she didn’t know what was about to go down. She might be a virgin, but she wasn’t stupid. Still, something held her back from admitting she hadn’t technically had sex before.

  “If you want to braid my hair, you’re out of luck.” She tugged on a hank that framed her face. “Too short.”

  “You’re perfect in every way,” he said, starting up the stone walkway.

  Those words nestled into her heart, convincing her for the umpteenth time that Nick Zeringue was the right man. And that he’d refused to have any part of Lulu present on this night made him even more attractive. He wanted Eden . . . just the way she was.

  Nick punched in the security code and pushed into the kitchen. He relocked the door and then strolled to the refrigerator, pulling out a bottle of wine and wagging it. “Want a glass?”

  She shook her head. “I’m too full to have anything else . . . but you.”

  Those words were as bold as she could do, but they worked. He set the bottle down with a clunk and walked the short distance separating them.

  He lowered his head and whispered, “Let’s skip the hair braiding.”

  Eden answered with a kiss. Nick lifted her so her feet left the floor. It was both literal and figu
rative. She felt like she was flying and never wanted the moment to end.

  His mouth was hungry, so she parted her lips, letting him have what he wanted. All his hard parts lined up perfectly with her soft parts, making her heady. Heat suffused her body, turning her into liquid want.

  “Hurry,” she whispered.

  Nick didn’t set her down. He just started walking.

  Ten seconds later, they were in his bedroom. She’d smoothed her hand over the thick down duvet on his bed plenty of times when she was putting away laundry or setting out Sophie’s change of clothes, but she’d never sat on his bed. He set her down on the plush rug and walked to the bedside table. One click of a button and a fire appeared in the marbled grate, illuminating the room with a flickering intimacy that mimicked the desire licking at her.

  “You’re so amazing,” he said, his voice thick with wanting as he turned to look at her. “But we have to deal with this dress. I needed it off yesterday, baby.”

  Eden jerked the hem upward and pulled the stretchy fabric over her head, revealing the ivory strapless bra and matching panties she’d bought at Victoria’s Secret that morning.

  Nick gave a soft laugh. “Shit, you’re gorgeous.”

  His words covered her like Mississippi River fog, coating her with pleasure, preventing her from feeling awkward standing half-naked. “Your turn,” she said, the Marilyn Monroe voice back.

  Nick shrugged out of his jacket and tossed it toward the chair in the corner. Then he unbuttoned his oxford shirt, slowly revealing the flesh she’d seen before but only fantasized about touching. His hand went to his belt, and her gaze dropped to the erection pressing against the fly of his trousers. Anxiety fluttered in her tummy at the thought of him inside her. He wasn’t a skinny, little guy, and she was small, barely five foot. What if it didn’t . . .

  She stamped on the thought as Nick, presumably sensing her sudden nervousness, paused. He abandoned his task but instead walked the three short steps to reach her.

  “Don’t get shy on me.” His hand brushed her ribs as he looked down at her. “So pretty.”

  Her stomach contracted when he reached the sensitive flesh below her belly button. But as he ringed the elastic of her waistband, she felt need release and flood her. She’d never felt so hot, almost feverish. Or so determined to have this experience with a man.

  He lifted her onto his bed, never letting his hands leave her body. He stroked her sides, glanced over her hip bones, and trailed his fingers down her legs. Reaching her foot, he slipped one shoe off and tossed it over his shoulder. Same treatment with the other. Then his lips were back on hers, devouring her. Eden wrapped her arms around his gorgeous bare shoulders and fell into crazed desire.

  The groans and the touching increased. Somehow her bra came off, and he feasted on her small breasts, teasing her nipples with love bites before licking them, drawing them into the heat of his mouth. She squirmed with the need to have him inside her, lifting her butt, rubbing her silk-clad crotch against the hardness nestled between her thighs. She put her hands all over him, reveling in his hardness, in the smooth skin of his broad shoulders, the springy softness of his chest hair, and the firm abs that did their own contracting when she slid her hand between their bodies.

  She wanted him now. The wait was over.

  He lifted himself up and dropped his trousers. Then he slid the panties from her body, tossing them somewhere on the floor, leaving Eden sprawled before him wearing only the locket her aunt Ruby Jean had given her on her sixteenth birthday. For a microsecond, she had the sudden inclination to cross her legs and clasp her hands to her breasts. How could she feel so turned on yet so vulnerable?

  But that was making love, wasn’t it? Opening oneself up to splendid intimacy, baring not just one’s body but one’s soul. She forced herself to remain still, open to this man she trusted.

  Nick brushed his hand over the heart of her, his fingers feathering, sliding briefly into the slick heat. She couldn’t stop the moan that escaped her lips.

  “Nick,” she panted.

  “What do you want, Eden?” he asked, still clad in tight boxer briefs that showed the outline of his admirable erection. His fingers stroked her inner thighs, teasing, avoiding the place he knew begged to be touched.

  “Please.” Her body was on autopilot. She would do whatever he wanted as long as he touched her.

  “Do you want me to touch you here?” he asked, sliding his index finger against the small nub nestled within her sex.

  Eden jackknifed off the bed. “Nick.”

  He gave a small laugh and pressed her back to the bed. “Or would you rather have this?”

  Dropping to his knees, he dragged her hips so that she lay on the edge of the bed, an offering to him. Parting her folds with his fingers, he lowered his mouth.

  Eden screamed.

  She’d never felt anything like the heat of his mouth moving against her intimate flesh, stroking her in a firm, knowledgeable way. She wriggled against the assault, not knowing if she wanted him to continue but afraid he might stop. Nick held her still, making that decision for her.

  “Shh, sweet Eden. Let me have you. I want this more than you know,” he said, pushing her back and lowering his head once again. Eden allowed her legs to relax, to accept what Nick offered. Which was so damn good there were no words for it.

  It didn’t take long before she curled her toes and shattered against his mouth. He didn’t stop torturing her. Instead, he held her hips tight with one hand, sliding a finger inside her, mimicking what would come next. Eden felt like she was being carried on a huge wave up to the vast sky. She stretched, every muscle in her body tight, and then she shattered again. And it was even better the second time.

  And then it was all too much. She wriggled away from Nick and sat up, panting, her body still humming with pleasure. “What are you doing to me?”

  He grinned. “Only what I’ve thought about doing for the past week.”

  She swallowed as he walked to the bedside table, pulled out a box of condoms, and ripped off a foil packet. He tugged his black briefs down, his thick erection springing forth. Eden’s eyes must have widened slightly because he looked down at himself and smiled, a sort of male preening that was almost heartwarming. “It’s been a while for me. I’ll try to go slow, baby, but I don’t know how long I can last.”

  He tossed the condom on the bed and settled between her knees. Lowering his head, he caught her mouth and plundered it once again. She should have been repulsed considering he’d just had his mouth on her in the most intimate way possible, but she wasn’t. The thrust of his tongue paired with the way he pulled her to him, sliding her slickness against his hardness, vaulted her into a new hunger. She needed to feel him inside her, and the delicious friction he created between their bodies had her clutching his shoulders, trying to lift herself so he would slide inside.

  “Wait a sec,” he panted, reaching for the condom. He had it open and rolled over his erection in seconds.

  She’d never seen a real-life penis clad in a condom. The latex stretched so thin it didn’t look the same as the one on the banana Coach Armstead had used to demonstrate in eighth grade PE. It looked normal.

  Nudging her knees apart and scooting her back on the bed, Nick dipped his hips and probed her entrance as he dropped small kisses on her breasts. Eden felt her body stretch to accommodate him. It was a strange feeling. She looked up at him, at the way his face had screwed into something akin to pain.

  “You’re so tight,” Nick said, inching inside her.

  She’d read lots of romance books and knew there was always a hymen and pain. And blood. Eden felt none of that, only a unique stretching as he filled her. She pressed her inner thighs to his hips just as if she were riding her cousin’s old mare.

  He paused and looked down at her. “This is so good. So . . .” He dropped a kiss on her nipple. “ . . . so . . .” He dropped a kiss on the other. “Good,” he concluded, catching her mouth with his. His hands w
ent to her hips, lifting her as he withdrew and plunged inside her, establishing a rhythm.

  The last thought Eden had before she allowed her body to relax and enjoy the delicious feeling of a man inside her was that she was no longer a virgin.

  Nick moved inside her, slow then fast. His lips traveled over the sensitive column of her throat, nuzzling her ears, occasionally raiding her mouth once again. He pressed her knees back, causing her butt to lift off the bed. Nestling his face into the crook of her neck, he increased the tempo. The pressure was intense, and once again Eden felt an orgasm ebbing and abating. She flexed her pelvic muscles, something she’d read about in Cosmopolitan, and marveled at how much more intense she felt him inside her. It was a weird but wonderful feeling.

  “You’re good,” Nick panted in her ear. “So fucking good, Eden.”

  She could feel the tension build in him. Saw the way his muscles tightened, the sheen of perspiration covering shoulders that offered salty kisses.

  “Come with me, baby,” he commanded. “Come for me again.”

  And those words did their job. She felt the pressure rise again as he plunged inside her.

  “Oh,” she said, stretching once again to catch the explosive pleasure that teased her body. “Oh, oh, oh.”

  Nick’s cry vaulted her over the edge. He pumped steadily inside her, his drawn-out moan of release in her ear as she pulsated on a wave of sheer, extraordinary wonderfulness.

  “Shit, that was good,” he breathed, his hips finally stilling. Sweat covered both of them, and a languid heaviness settled over her. She dropped her feet and let loose a huge sigh. She’d had sex for the first time and an orgasm to boot. She’d not expected that. So many articles and books had warned that the first time she shouldn’t plan on an orgasm. That took time. And intimacy. But maybe they hadn’t banked on Nick Zeringue.

  He lifted his head. “Sorry I couldn’t go longer. You were amazing.”

  “Was I?” she asked, twisting her fingers in his hair.

  “Well, you came . . . how many times?” he asked as he lifted onto his elbows, tweaking one of her breasts.