Taking Care of Business

by Lauren Dane

'Then what?'

  'The thing with your wife.'

  He sighed. 'What thing, beauty? I'm divorced. I have been for seven years. You're the first woman I've wanted a relationship with in all that time. That should tell you something, shouldn't it?'

  'You're still her husband without the fucking. Her picture is on your wall.'

  Her jealousy made him want to smile but, seeing the look in her eyes, he decided against it. 'I haven't been in love with Eve for at least nine years. Probably ten. But my daughters live here half of the time, I can't excise their mother from their lives.'

  'I have no place to feel one way or the other about it.'

  His amusement dried up. 'You're starting to piss me off. I thought you said you were done playing games. Of course you do, and clearly you have an opinion on the issue. My kids come first. I won't apologise for that. I've always been clear about it.'

  'Shut the fuck up. This isn't about your kids. You just let yourself think that. I respect that your kids come first. They should come first. Ugh, never mind! This is a mistake. Call me a cab. We had this very nice thing, don't spoil it by ending it on a fight.' She began to stand and he grabbed the waist of her skirt and pulled her back to the couch.

  'You're not going anywhere. God, why can't you just talk to me about it then? What is your issue? Be specific. I'm a big boy, I can take it.'

  'Fine. The last time we spoke on the phone before I came out here, remember that?' She paused as he nodded. 'We're hot and heavy, I've got a vibrator in my cunt, you're telling me unbelievably filthy things as you're jerking off and then your cell phone rings. It's your ex's number but, OK, your daughters are there so you answer it. And what happened? Were your girls in need of you? No. You ended our call and why? To go over there because she can't open a jar. Since you want me to be honest and all, I have to tell you how fucking pathetic that is. On both your parts.'

  Ouch.

  'She's not like you, Kate. She's always been coddled. Am I supposed to just abandon her because we're divorced?'

  She blinked quickly. 'You're the . . . that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard! Oh my God! See, this is why we can't be together. Abandon her? If she was going through chemo and you needed to be supportive, I'd stand behind that. If her car was out of commission and she needed help getting your daughters around until it got fixed, I can be OK with that. I can't, will not accept a nearly forty-year-old woman who can't open a jar and who calls her ex-husband over to open it. That's patently absurd and you cooperating with such ridiculous delusions is worse. It's wretched, Dix. She needs to grow the fuck up. You're not her father, or her husband.'

  'Where is all this coming from? Why didn't you say any of this before?' Confused anger slid through him. And also the feeling she was right. Which made him defensive.

  'Because before you were the guy who flew out to fuck me for a few days. Now you want that to change. You want a relationship. You want my opinion, and guess what? I'm not helpless. If you ask for it, I'm going to give it to you. Welcome to having a woman in your life who's an adult. Scary, huh?'

  He pushed up from the couch and began to pace. 'Smart ass. She's not a threat to you.'

  She actually rolled her eyes at that. 'Of course she isn't. Not in the way you imagine it, no.'

  'Then why flip out because her picture is on my wall? You're here with me now, not her. It's you I want in my bed, at my side. You I imagine lounging by the pool as I grill. I've even thought of how I'd introduce you to my kids. I can't get you out of my head. I want you there.'

  'You're a romantic, which is pretty damned hot, I'll admit.'

  She stood, moving to him, standing so close that each time she took a breath her breasts touched him just slightly. 'But you're wilfully blind. That is not hot.'

  'What are we fighting about?'

  'Dix, darling, we're fighting because you're not letting go.

  And because of that, I need to.' She moved past him and went for her bag.

  'What are you doing?'

  'I'm going to call a cab. I'm going back to the hotel and you're going to continue to be on call for a woman you supposedly left seven years ago.' She pulled out her phone and he grabbed her wrist. 'I care about you. More than I should. But not so much I can't see you have a lot of thinking to do.'

  'This is stupid. Stop psychoanalysing me, damn you. I want you. I need you. I don't want my ex-wife. This isn't some episode of a network drama.'

  She turned slowly, one eyebrow rising. 'Are you saying I'm dramatic?'

  'I'm saying there isn't an issue here. You're using it to keep me away.'

  'Now who's psychoanalysing? Hmm? I readily admit I want you. It wasn't easy for me to get to that point but here I am. I'm willing to do the work to have a relationship with you. But I'm not interested in your ex-wife. I don't date married men. That's what's keeping you away. Not anything more than that. But it's a big deal. Your security blanket.'

  Discomfort nettled. What the hell did she know? She'd never been married. Didn't have kids or know the responsibility of trying to raise them between two households. She had no right to be so glib about his life.

  'You don't have any right to be so flip about my kids.'

  She started to speak but shook her head instead. 'I'll see you tomorrow.'

  'You're not just going to walk away from this thing we have.' He pulled her to his body and watched her pupils swallow the colour of her eyes. Not in fear, but in reaction to him, an echo of the ache he felt for her.

  His mouth found hers taking a kiss without asking. He knew she'd give it, knew she wanted to.

  31

  Her bag dropped from nerveless fingers along with her phone. She needed her hands free to grab his shirt and yank it up and over his head. They panted when they had to break free even momentarily.

  She should go. This wasn't going anywhere good and yet her body had no intention of listening to her brain. Her body yearned for his hands on it, yearned for his lips, for the words spilling from his mouth, heating, softening all of her.

  Time slowed as he backed her down a hallway, her clothes fell off as they moved, joining his on the cool tiles. The only moments their kiss broke was when she gasped as he touched something particularly sensitive or when they needed to part to rid themselves of another piece of clothing.

  His bedroom lay heavy with shadow, hung with his scent. The space was masculine like him.

  He growled something unintelligible and dropped to his knees. His arms went around her hips pulling her pussy to his face. He inhaled her like he couldn't get enough. She knew the feeling as she made the supreme effort to drag enough air into her lungs to keep from passing out.

  And then his mouth was on her, in her, as he yanked her hips forwards. His tongue slid between the lips of her cunt and colours exploded.

  She reached blindly for something to lean on, to hold herself up as her balance became more and more precarious.

  He pressed a hand between her thighs from behind, widening her stance, sliding his fingers back and forth across the superheated flesh of her pussy, around her gate as his tongue worked magic on her cit.

  Her muscles burned as she tried to stay upright and not drown in the sensation he created within her.

  'Fuck, stop! I can't concentrate and I'm going to fall,' she gasped, yanking his hair to pull him back.

  When he turned his face to her, the look he wore shook her deeply. Possessive, covetous, he needed her and he wasn't going to stop until he'd had his fill. It didn't frighten her, not that way, she was definitely on board with having sex with him right then. But it cut deep, scared her to be wanted so much when she wasn't sure she'd be walking away from his door as anything more than that woman he fucked for a few intense months.

  'On the bed then, before I fuck you right there where you stand.'

  'Is that supposed to be a bad thing? Except for us falling into a heap and possibly breaking something. That would be bad. We'd probably have to alert the paramedics. You're over forty, I hear y
our bones go all brittle when you're old.'

  A savage grin split his mouth as he surged up, using the momentum to toss them both on to the bed just a few steps away.

  'You're going to be sorry for that comment.'

  'I'll only be sorry if you don't have condoms handy.'

  'I have work to finish before we get there. But I knew you were coming over. I stocked up.' He shoved her thighs open and, with his gaze still locked to hers, he snaked his tongue out and tickled her cit with the tip.

  Silently she widened her thighs, arching into his mouth.

  Want made her mute, need stole her words. His mouth on her was beautiful, lovely, wet and warm as he broke down her defences.

  She didn't want to come almost as much as she did.

  Pleasure built up through her, filling her, riding her as he opened his mouth, grazing her clit with his top teeth, teasing her gate with his tongue.

  He wanted her to come, she felt it in the way he did all the things he knew she loved best. There was so much more going on than the physical.

  With a sigh, the walls against climax fell and it crashed over her. He rushed in, taking advantage, and part of her admired his absolute unerring dedication to making her his.

  Part of her loved being the focus of his attentions in that way. But the rest of her knew the issues between them would remain after the serotonin high wore off.

  Lazily, still floating on endorphins, she grazed her fingertips through his hair as he kissed up the sensitive seam where leg met body, up her belly, over each rib on one side and then the other.

  'Look at me, Kate.'

  She opened her eyes and found his face just inches from her own. His eyes seemed to almost glow in the low light of the room. She smelled herself on his lips, it tugged low and deep, a mark of possession in a real sense.

  'It's different with us. You know that.'

  She did. But did it matter enough?

  Instead she stretched her neck to kiss him, to taste herself on his skin. The kiss wasn't the ferocious one she'd expected but instead it was tender.

  Using her body, she rolled to flip him on his back, moving to straddle him.

  Dix looked at her above him, memorising each freckle on her pale shoulders, marvelling at the sweetness of her taste. Her weight was perfect on him.

  A smile took her mouth, her sweet, tart mouth, as she dipped down to kiss across his collarbone. Her cunt sat wet against his cock and he wrestled the depth of his need to shove into her body.

  Her teeth scraped over his nipple while she played over the other one with the tip of her fingernail. He arched with a moan. Christ, that felt good.

  'You do have sensitive nipples, Charles.'

  He felt her smile against his chest and he snorted, giving her ass a lazy swat.

  She continued to taste his sides, his belly, his hip bones and down his thighs. He watched, transfixed by her lips as she skated them past his cock. Her tongue flicked out, zinging sensation to the back of his knee. She got to her knees between his legs, pushing his thighs open. Her face was intent as her palms slid down his calves, kneading and caressing.

  Back up again, back towards where he wanted her. A groan from deep within whispered from him when she nuzzled his balls, then licked along the seam and up the line of his cock. He'd let her call him Charles until the end of time if she'd just . . . yes! He sighed happily when she took the head of his cock in to her mouth, swirling her tongue around it.

  Reaching down, he cradled her head between his palms, the softness of it soothing even as her mouth began to devastate him.

  'You were just rubbing your pussy all over me. Can you taste yourself?' he asked.

  'Mmmm.' She moaned and he took it for assent.

  He lost track of time to the suck and draw of her mouth. Every slicks wipe of her tongue simply drew him in deeper until there was nothing but that, nothing but the way she made him feel and the way he felt about her.

  Climax built, his balls drew tight and he pulled back on her head gently. 'Wait, I'm too close. I need to fuck you.'

  She pulled back off his cock and blinked. 'I need you to come in my mouth.'

  Christ. He shook his head a moment. 'What you do to me. Kate, beauty, to look at you, no one would ever imagine what a gorgeously filthy mouth you have. Talented too.'

  She grinned. 'I'm quite proud of my vocabulary, counsellor.'

  'I want to shove my cock in your cunt. Deep and hard until you make that little squeal that's part excitement, part surprise and a tiny bit fear.'

  Her pupils widened and her breath caught. Good. He wanted her to be as ensnared by the chemistry and pull between them as he was.

  'Don't you dare joke right now, Kate.' He flipped her on her back. 'I want to look in your eyes as I slide into you. I want to lean down and taste your lips at will. I want to fit in the cradle of your hips.'

  She opened her mouth and then shut it.

  He reached over, grabbed a foil packet and freed a condom, then dealt with it quickly so he could get back to the business at hand.

  The head of his cock found her opening easily. She was so damned wet. Her thighs widened to allow him better access and he took it, using his weight to hold her just where he wanted.

  He took his time as he entered her body, letting her surround him with the snug heat of her pussy. He wanted to possess her incrementally, so slowly she wouldn't even notice until it was too late. Skittish, this beautiful, intelligent woman. But he'd overcome that and probably really think hard about what she'd said about Eve.

  But at that moment, the woman he loved was spread beneath him, willing and warm, open to him, giving herself up, and he wasn't going to think on anything but that.

  Once he'd totally hilted within her, Kate could barely breathe at the look in his eyes. Intent. Like he saw right into her insides.

  His gaze penetrated as deeply as his cock. She wanted to look away but it seemed cowardly to run from it. He knew her in a way no one else ever had. He bothered to know her and that meant more than most everything else.

  He took her hands, entwined their fingers and held them against the pillows above her head. She wrapped her calves around his waist, resting her heels on his fine muscular ass. The man had a world-class ass. God knew he understood the power of a good thrust and the angle, brushing just so. The entire length of him stroked over her cit as she was held open by her position.

  'You feel good. Like you were made for me.'

  Why did he say stuff like that? Gah! Why couldn't he just talk dirty and fuck her? Why did he have to be deep and sweet and dig under her skin? Why did he feed that hunger she had no idea existed, that hunger for connection and understanding? The depth of it frightened her, made her wonder what the hell was wrong with her to not have known.

  He dipped his head and kissed her, a playful tease of his lips against hers. Just enough to give her a taste but not to sate. She arched, stretching up to demand more and he laughed.

  'Want more?'

  'Yes!'

  'Good. I like it when you need me.'

  And his mouth was on hers fully, his tongue filling her mouth, his taste mixed with hers sliding through her system. She struggled to free her hands but he kept them in his as he continued to kiss her.

  Her breath was his and he gave it back. Over and over, he breathed into her as he fucked into her. Pressing deep and retreating, his cock filling and emptying. At once it sated and left her bereft.

  The enormity of it left her trembling as tears slid down the side of her face, the warm trail cooling against her skin.

  Tenderness.

  'Aw, beauty, you wreck me. I'm bare-boned and crazy for you.'

  She held in a sob at the lyrical reference. Crash. Yeah, he'd crashed into her all right. She was the one wrecked, filled up with him until there was nowhere to hide. No way not to love him. Shit. Shit. Triple shit.

  He smiled as she blinked. The tip of his tongue trailed over her temple, tasting her tears. 'You taste sweet. Beautif
ul. Raw. Give yourself to me. I'm already yours. You know you want to. I want you to. Wanting is easy, Kate. Remember?'

  'But needing is hard,' she whispered and he nodded. Needing someone you loved was really hard. She'd never experienced it before and the brilliance of it was so sharp it nearly hurt. Certainly scared her.

  'I know. But I'm here with you.'

  He continued to fuck her, to make love to her with the same intensity and focus he showed with everything else. It was one of the things she'd first become enamoured of: his intensity. The way he threw his entire concentration into the things he did. And now he was focused on her and it warmed her even as she didn't want to be warmed. But it was too late.