by Inez Kelley
Her arms rose above her head and she gripped the mattress edge. A feral grin shone with approval then disappeared between her legs. His forearm clamped over her hips. He held her captive as he plundered, delving deep and kissing shallow. Climax approached and she whispered his name. He backed off, his tantalizing mouth retreating to the edges of her sex. She cried out in frustration.
Two fingers plunged inside her and found that elusive spot. Her knees spread and she pushed against his arm, desperate and demanding. Matt wouldn’t be rushed. He kept pressing from the inside while outside, he lazily dipped his tongue along her folds. She grabbed handfuls of the sheet.
“Please,” she moaned.
He hummed, the heated vibration skating up her center. His lips locked and lightning-fast flutters danced over her clit. Higher and higher she soared, aching to come. He started a slow, deep thrust with his fingers. Each entry grazed the spot inside her and her pussy clenched, trying to keep the contact. Higher. Hotter. Tighter.
Her hair snaked along his pillow as she writhed beneath him. Without warning, he curled his fingers, bringing them up hard as his mouth fused to her clit.
Kayla exploded. Electric shock crackled through her bones. Every muscle in her body convulsed. The sheet came loose from the mattress corner as she tugged against the onslaught of pure pleasure. Mouth open, back arched and totally under his control, she forgot how to breathe. It was utter bliss as she’d never known.
She crashed as hard as she’d come. Trembling and gasping, she melted into the mattress. He crawled up, dotting kisses along the way until he could cradle her to his side. She centered on his hand stroking down her back and clung to him like a lifeline. Her breathing slowed, her heartbeat calming next to his.
He nuzzled her temple. “Your toes curled.”
She didn’t have to see his smile, she felt it against her cheek and burst out laughing. So much masculine smugness reverberated in those three words. “Uh, yeah. My toes weren’t the only thing.”
His head bent to hers but she moved, twisted out of his arms and propped herself over him. “Pretty pleased with yourself, aren’t you?”
“Yep.” He crossed his arms behind his head. Playful arrogance twinkled in his eyes, reflecting the moonlight.
Her brows arched. “My turn.”
Leaning close, she nibbled his bottom lip and wrapped her fingers around his cock. Matt hissed as she stroked. The feel of him in her palm—heavy, thick, hot and hard—catapulted her straight back into that drunken pool of desire. Her thumb slicked through the drop of sticky fluid pearling at his tip. Eyes pinched tight, Matt breathed through his nose as her hand glided up and down, twisting just a bit at the base.
Adonis’s belt, she thought they called it, that luscious dip along his hip that angled down. It called to her mouth and she listened, licking the length of the valley. Muscles jumped against her lips as she cupped his balls. The tandem motion of her hands thrust his head into the pillow and his hips rocked up. His fingers buried in her hair as she took him as deep as she could.
“Oh Jesus, Kayla.”
She rolled her tongue around the corona then sucked, letting her lips roll as she bobbed her head. The spicy male taste inflamed her. The hot edge of lust scored through her and cut her patience in half. She wanted to tease him more, to make him ache as he’d made her, to wring every ounce of pleasure from him, but she couldn’t wait. She wanted him inside her too badly.
Throwing her leg over his thighs, she stroked the head of his cock over her swollen sex. A moan worked from her lips as the broad crown nudged her clit. Matt reached beside the bed, inside a drawer, and brought out a square packet. She took it from him before he could tear it open.
“I’m running this show.”
“Yes, ma’am.” His hands gripped her hips. “I’m all yours.”
She rolled the condom on him slowly, forcing them both to wait one last precious moment. She rose up, pressed his tip against her pussy and stopped. His fingers dug into her skin and sweat dotted his forehead. Restraint tightened the cords of his neck and flexed the lines in his forearms. In this minute, she had complete control.
Kayla sank down in one slow glide. His mouth opened, his eyes closed and she gasped. He filled her completely, stretching her with a gentle burn. She rocked and the fire grew. He thrust and it blazed. Sweat plastered her hair to her nape. Her breasts swayed and her nails dug into his shoulders as she rode him. Moonlight turned his skin an ethereal blue but his eyes shimmered with heat.
Rolling her hips, she took him deeper, harder, faster. Every motion tweaked her clit, ground against him and shot sparks through her blood. His control slipped and he guided her, pulling her onto him with force, driving up into her. Her belly tightened seconds before her vision shattered. Thighs clamped around his hips, she bucked, letting stinging waves surge through her. Her pussy gripped him and Matt growled.
“Oh fuck, yes.”
He spun her back to the mattress. He jerked one of her knees up and plunged inside. So deep, he sank so deep it traced the razor-fine line between pain and ecstasy. Her orgasm had been ebbing but now it jack-knifed into a harder, longer, deeper spasm inside her. Kayla clung to him as wave after wave undulated. Skin slapped skin. He wedged higher and thrust faster as he came. Her eyes flew wide as her body clenched again. Their gazes met and held, unblinking, joining them deeper than bodies.
Heat pulsed inside her as he shuddered and moaned her name. “Kayla.”
She had no voice to answer.
Slowly, their bodies relaxed, their breaths mingling. Aftershocks racked them both. Her shaky fingers brushed his brow, feathering over his damp cheek. He turned his mouth into her palm and let her leg fall beside his. Lowering to his elbows, he bowed his head into the curve of her neck. She wrapped her arms around his shoulder as his heart thudded against her chest.
Afterglow was tender, sweet, exhausted.
He placed a single kiss on her shoulder. “You curled my toes.”
Chapter Four
Curly maple chairs, tables or grandfather clocks
from early American history
are priced in the millions of dollars.
His bedroom boasted patio doors that led to the framed-out deck. Morning sun washed into the room, haloing Kayla in gold. It danced through her hair as she stared into the mountains, steaming coffee mug in her hands. She wore only his discarded shirt. Something about her reached deeper into his soul than he was comfortable examining at the moment. Instead, he simply drank in her unspoiled beauty.
“Hey, pretty lady.”
She crossed the room, set her cup on the nightstand then crawled back onto the bed. “Morning.”
“Have you been awake long?”
“Half hour maybe. You were sleeping so soundly I tried not to wake you.”
“I’m awake now.”
“I raided your kitchen and made coffee. Want a cup?”
“In a bit.”
She wore nothing beneath his shirt, and smooth, firm flesh filled his hands when he palmed her ass, tugging her across his chest. Her mouth was flavored with sugar-laced coffee, her lips soft, her tongue softer. The caffeine should have jump-started his system but it was her smile that had hit him like a sixty-foot pine. This wasn’t like him. A cautious man, Matt rarely jumped into any venture without examining all angles. But Kayla scrambled his brains.
Making love with her was like nothing he’d ever known. Falling asleep holding her had felt natural. Waking with her seemed right. He wanted more. More sex, more kisses, more Kayla.
He was so screwed.
She pulled her mouth from his and toyed with the edges of his hair. “I’m grubby. Come wash my back?”
“Go ahead. I’ll be there in a minute.” He wanted to make a pit stop in the hallway bathroom.
“Hurry.” Kayl
a let his shirt slip from her shoulders when she stood. Her eyes locked with his, a teasing promise sparkling like cider. Morning light kissed her skin with a hint of peach and his mouth watered.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Her laugh bounced around the room as she strode into the bathroom. He bounded out of bed and raced naked to the hall bathroom. The shower clicked on as he flushed. The pasty taste in his mouth made him grimace. She’d kissed him like this. Brave woman.
He dug a new toothbrush out of the vanity drawer and found his nephew’s Spider-Man toothpaste. The bubble gum taste was nasty but it was better than morning grime. He let his mind replay the night as he brushed.
Holy hell, she turned him on.
He was rinsing the sink when the gravel crunched in his driveway and a car door slammed. His head snapped up, memory bursting into his skull. He’d promised to watch his nephew while his sister drove to Morgantown to pick up his birthday present. Matt had forgotten all about it.
Fuck a buzzard.
The shower was running hard as he ducked into his room, jerking on shorts and a T-shirt.
“Uncle Matt!”
Maybe he could hustle Abby out of here before she realized he’d had a woman stay over and blew a gasket. His nephew was easy enough to distract. But Abby? She’d ask questions.
He hurried up the hall. “Hey, Mini-man. I overslept.”
“Gotta pee.” Garrett barreled by him.
“Jesus, Abby, what’d you do, let the kid drink coffee for breakfast?”
His sister twisted her purse strap as if she wished it was his neck. “No, he went before we left home. And speaking of his bladder, don’t let him pee outside anymore. It’s fine out here in the boonies, but in town it causes issues.”
“I’ll talk to him.” Pulling a mug from the cabinet, he avoided looking at her. Go, Abby. Leave.
“He’s had breakfast already but he might try to con you into Cocoa Puffs.”
Hurry up. “I’ll handle it. Drive safe.”
“Thanks.” Abby turned, keys in her hand. A shrill feminine shriek blasted from the bedroom.
“Mom, there’s a naked lady in Uncle Matt’s shower!”
Matt froze. The kid should have used the hall bathroom, not the master bath. Abby’s eyes widened. She looked down. Kayla’s heels and purse sat beside the kitchen door.
Inch by inch, her spine stiffened. “You have company?”
“I forgot about watching him, sorry. But it’s not a problem. I can still keep him for a couple hours.”
Garrett pranced into the room, wet hand-shaped splotches on his shirt. At least the kid had washed his hands. With more energy than a new puppy, he took his ever-present backpack from Abby’s hands and dumped a plastic container of Legos on the kitchen table.
The speculation on Abby’s face made his stomach clench. She knew him, knew that home was sacred. By bringing Kayla here, he’d placed her in a category he’d almost thought was nonexistent to him: a potential. Abby swung her purse onto the counter.
“Pour me some coffee, brother dear.”
He bit his tongue and pulled another cup from the cabinet. Sisters were nosy as hell.
Garrett’s mouth pinched tight. “Mom, go away. We’re supposed to have a boy day. We’re going to play Vikings and cook hot dogs over a fire and burp and spit and scratch our balls and stuff I can’t do when girls are around.”
His coffee sailed down the wrong pipe. His choking sidetracked Abby for ten seconds, then she smirked. “Serves you right for teaching him that stuff.”
“Sorry,” he gasped, then cleared his throat. “Abs, chill. He’s a boy. We do disgusting things when women aren’t around.”
“I grew up with you, I know this.”
Kayla chose that minute to walk up the hall. Wearing a pair of shorts and a Disney T-shirt, with a towel wrapped around her head, she darted her eyes from Abby to Matt to Garrett. “Hi.”
He made introductory waves with his hand as Kayla refilled her coffee cup. “My sister and her son, Garrett.”
“We met. He flushed while I was showering.” Kayla ruffled Garrett’s dark hair then extended her hand to Abby. “Kayla Edwards.”
“Abby Shaw.” Her eyes narrowed, darting between Kayla and him, but she never got a chance to ask anything nosy. Garrett beat her to it.
“Did you have a sleepover, Uncle Matt?”
Damn, busted by a kindergartener. Abby tongued her lip and looked at him expectantly. The witch. She was enjoying his discomfort. He whirled to the freezer and buried his head. “Something like that, Mini-man. You want some waffles?”
“Nah.” Garret scratched his neck. “Mom won’t let Melissa sleep over with me ’cause she’s a girl. How come you get to?”
Kayla gave him a grimace, then took the box of waffles from his hand, put it back in the freezer and opened his refrigerator. His nephew looked at him expectantly, and Abby’s cheeks were rounded and pink behind her mug. “Care to explain that, Uncle Matt?”
“You’re enjoying this.”
“Yep.” She sat beside her son and buried her chin in her palm. “Immensely.”
“Fine.” He squatted down to Garrett’s level. “Your mom was lucky. She had me to teach her all the fun stuff when she was growing up. Kayla doesn’t have any brothers. She’s never built a Viking ship. I said we’d teach her.”
Garrett frowned then looked at Kayla, who’d found something more to her liking and was cooking breakfast. “But we can’t burp and scratch if she’s here.”
He put his hand on his nephew’s shoulder. “I know. But sometimes, when it comes to girls, you got to suck up and be a man. They need us to teach them all the fun stuff.”
“Oh, you’re good,” Abby said.
“That’s what she said.”
* * *
Kayla bit her lip, trying not to laugh. Matt was pure little boy under those very manly muscles. Both he and Garrett sported plastic hats with fake horns. Currently Thor Brainsplitter—she had laughed when Garrett named Matt—and little Eric the Fearless were sitting in a longship made of cardboard, duct tape and old tent posts with a torn sheet as a sail, eating hot dogs on a stick. She’d tried to round out their “Viking” lunch by adding some apple slices, cheese chunks and peanut butter crackers.
Garrett bounded out of the boat and sent her a wave as he sped into the house. Matt crawled from the cardboard, then stood and arched his back before heading toward her lawn chair. He collapsed into the empty one beside her, dropping the plastic hat beside him.
“Certain little Vikings are getting sleepy and missing SpongeBob. I sent him in for some twenty-first-century time watching TV on my bed.”
“You’re a good uncle.”
“I’m selfish. I wanted grown-up time with you.” He chugged sweet tea from the thermos beside her before shrugging. “But I try. The kid needs a man in his life.”
“Where’s his father?”
Matt’s lip curled. “Skipped out like his ass was on fire when Abby told him. Signed over his rights as soon as Garrett was born.” He twirled a piece of her hair around his fingers. “This isn’t what I planned for today, but you’ve been great. Thanks for sticking around.”
“No problem, he’s cute. His uncle isn’t half-bad either.”
He gripped her ponytail, pulled her closer and dropped a swift kiss on her lips. “Abby’ll be back soon. I was hoping we could hike up Seneca this afternoon. It’s not a bad climb if we stick to the trails.”
For two seconds, Kayla warred in herself. She hadn’t yet made the trek up to Spruce Knob, the highest point in the state, and Matt was the perfect person to spend the day with. Ruefully, she shook her head. “Rain check? I have to get home. I have the Health Department scheduled to come out to the sugarhouse this week. I need to finish deep cleaning it so I
can get it certified for organic sale. If not, I can’t legally sell anything I make there.”
Something went flat behind his eyes. With a sniff, he looked up toward the mountains. “You’re determined to do this, aren’t you?”
“Making the syrup? Yes. It’s like a gift from the land. I can’t pass it up. I already ordered the bottles and started designing the labels.”
“You have no idea how hard it is.”
“So show me.” Her fingers twined with his. “You know how to do this stuff. You have hands-on, practical experience, something I don’t. Teach me, Matt.”
His exhale was loud. “Season doesn’t start until late February. You got a lot of time to learn. I don’t know—”
“I’ll pay you. Split the first year’s profits with you.”
“It’s not about money, Kayla. I haven’t sugared since I was a teenager.”
“But you haven’t forgotten how.” Excitement crackled in her veins. Maybe her stars had aligned or her guardian angel had directed her path or maybe it was plain old luck, but she wasn’t going to let this slip through her fingers.
She jumped from her chair and perched on his knee, throwing her arms around his neck. “I know we’re a new thing and the sugar season is months away. I’m not asking you for a commitment there. Just show me the ropes, get me started and see where everything leads.” She toyed with a piece of his hair. “I really need the sugarhouse to work, to generate some income.”
The wariness in his eyes vanished. “You bought the land years ago but didn’t build until last year. Why?”
“My mom died. I couldn’t just pack up and leave my dad. It’s funny, they’d spent so much time apart when he was deployed, and Mom and I managed. I mean, we missed him but we did okay. But when Mom was gone, Daddy couldn’t deal with it. He couldn’t handle being alone.”
Memories of her parents flooded back with a bittersweet burn. They’d been like two halves of a whole. Her mother supported her dad’s military career and him through rough times, separations and transfers. After he retired, it was his turn and he stood by her and endorsed her decision to become a professional photographer. They were partners in every sense of the word. Even though it had been devastating, she wasn’t surprised when her father followed her mother into death. Kayla wanted that same devotion.