“Dammit!” Cosgrove Orchards and Farm could use a new driveway—the current one was filled with potholes every few feet. By the time the van managed to come to a stop without rolling off the wheels completely, my jaw was clenched to keep my teeth inside my skull and my heart raced at the drama of it all. “At least we made it, old girl.” A soothing rub to my dashboard and I hopped out and ran up the stairs. Hopefully, the owner wouldn’t be too chatty.
I raised my hand to knock on the door when a voice sounded out of the rain. “Don’t waste your time. He’s not home.”
That voice was familiar. Very familiar. Too familiar. I turned to my right and saw nothing but a patch of grass through the thick window of rain. To my left was a glider for two beside a rocking chair and a small table with a tea set on top. Huddled in his jacket and rocking for warmth was a figure that had invaded my thoughts all day. “Derek? What in the hell are you doing out here?” I shook my head at the ridiculous question. Of course, this had Betty and Elizabeth and Helen and Eddy written all over it. “Silent auction item?”
He rolled his eyes. “You, too?”
“Yep. Does this item even exist, or was this just to get us out here together?”
“I saw the photos and spoke to Cosgrove myself. Imagine my surprise when Eddy dropped me off to talk to him and then stopped answering her phone.” Derek shook his head and I had to give him credit for being more amused than angry about it all, because honestly, I was leaning more towards angry.
“Well, I’m here and headed back to Tulip, if you want a ride.” I felt the grin he flashed me all the way down to my toes and I pushed that warm, intense feeling down deep. Now was not the time, and this abandoned horror-movie farm was not the place.
“I do.” Derek jumped to his feet and stayed at my side until we reached the van and sought refuge from the rain. “Ah, hell, it smells incredible in here! Please tell me you have leftovers I can snack on, maybe a few imperfect cupcakes?”
I frowned at him. “Imperfect? Take that back.”
The boyish grin tugged at the corners of his mouth until we were sitting inside my car with the heat roaring, staring at each other with big goofy smiles on our faces. “Fine. I take it back, but only if there’s something in here for me to eat.”
Me. The word came unbidden, and I was happy I had the good sense not to say it aloud. It was bad enough that I was so attracted to this man that he now invaded my dreams—wanting him was unacceptable. “You’re free to look,” I told him and put the van in gear, slowly navigating my way away from the rutted old driveway.
“It smells even better back here,” he groaned, and I listened with a half an ear and a smile while Derek searched all the cupboards and storage areas in search of food, moaning the whole time about the torturous smells. “I knew you were the type to bake extras for those that don’t meet your exacting standards.”
I smiled at his words, because it was true. I always had at least a dozen cupcakes or pastries in reserve—anything could happen when you were trying to transport baked goods from one location to another.
“Is that hazelnut cream?”
“Macadamia nut.” The sounds of his moans were more than professionally satisfying, though they were that, too. No, Derek’s sounds were heated. Overheated. Intense and hot and hungry. I could only think about other ways I could make him moan like that and immediately, I had to tamp down that thought.
“Can I place a standing order for these? They are magnificent. Truly.”
“Sure. I’ll get you an order form when we get… oh… shit.” A loud noise sounded and the van began to pull to the right and slow down considerably. “Please tell me this is some cruel joke.”
“What?” Derek’s black cropped head appeared between the front seats, a frown marring his handsome face and macadamia chocolate on his top lip.
“I think my tire just blew out.”
“Bummer,” he said and took another bite. “I’ll fix it if you have a spare.”
I had a spare tire because I couldn’t afford these kinds of mistakes, but that wasn’t the issue. “You plan to get out on the highway, in the rain, and change the tire? Wow. they really do teach you guys tricks in med school.”
He snorted a laugh and grinned. “Smart ass.”
The car still rolled and I ignored him, pulling into the first driveway I could find off the highway. “If it makes you feel better, I’ll let you change the tire when the weather improves.”
“Gee, thanks.”
I shifted into park and gave Derek’s shoulder a pat. “No problem. I figure you might want to burn off some of those cupcakes,” I told him with a smirk that turned into a full-blown laugh at the affronted look he tossed my way.
Derek
“You’re kidding me, right?” Maxine glared at me from her spot behind the wheel of her work van, frustration simmering behind those blue eyes. “Of course you’re not kidding, because why would you be?” She was freaking out and I understood, but now wasn’t the time.
“Look, Maxine, I understand if you don’t think you can handle sharing a single room with me. I won’t judge you for it,” I told her sincerely, leaning against the outside of the van with a slow grin. “I won’t even brag to all the guys about how irresistible you find me.”
She sucked in a breath and then nearly choked on it as her pale skin turned a bright shade of pink, almost a raspberry color. “Oh my god, you are the absolute worst!” She pushed the door open and I stood aside to give Maxine space as she began to pace in front of me. “You think I can’t resist you? Yeah, well, you’ve got another think coming, buddy.”
I held up a key. “I figured you’d say as much. Get back in, our room is on the other side of the building.” The glare she sent me would have burned me to a crisp if the steady stream of icy rain hadn’t chilled me to the bone. “Just kidding, it’s right there.” I pointed to the room, which would provide us with a perfect view of the van.
“Yet I’m the smart ass,” she grumbled, snatching the room key from my hands as she stomped past me. “You’re lucky that killing you might put too many lives at risk for my conscience to take.”
“Thank goodness for small favors,” I practically whispered, my gaze glued to the curve of her ass in those fitted jeans and the small splotches of rain that darkened them. She pushed the door opened and groaned. “It’s worse than I thought. Both of us will never fit in that bed.”
She was right but I couldn’t deny the thrill I felt at the thought of simply trying to fit us both in it—comfortably or otherwise. “You have to think positively, Maxine.”
“Fine. I’m positive we won’t both fit. Which means you, Dr. Cahill, get first dibs on the bathtub.” I didn’t bother to respond. There was no way in hell I’d sleep in a tub when there was a perfectly good bed with a perfectly soft woman that would do the job better.
“I need to get out of these clothes.” I didn’t have a change of clothes, but my teeth were chattering and I knew if I looked in the mirror, my lips would be discolored.
“The bathroom is right there,” she said sarcastically, pointing at the open door with the sea green paint gleaming from every surface. “I need to call and check in with Callie.”
Perfect. I needed some time to myself, to collect my thoughts and my calm. My first instinct was to be pissed as hell at the meddling matchmakers for getting me stranded nearly an hour away from Tulip and the hospital, but I was undressing on one of the door and Maxine was on the other side. That was damn good progress, even if she didn’t want to be here with me.
I smiled as I stood under the hot spray, quickly soaping up and rinsing off before the water ran cold, and before my mind could wander to sharing a bed with Maxine. Before I could picture her here in this shower, naked with bubbles barely hiding the best parts. I grabbed the handle and yanked it in the other direction until the cold water hit my skin like needles, and all traces of my boner were gone.
I took another ten minutes to get myself under control and to
make sure that no matter what, I didn’t let Maxine get to me. She was skittish as hell, and even though she wanted me, she wasn’t the kind of woman that could be rushed. And that was just fine, because I had a feeling that going slow with Maxine would be worth the torture.
“Save some hot water for the rest of Texas,” she called out and banged on the door, yanking me from my thoughts with the force of a bullet.
“The water is perfect, come on in,” I told her as I opened the door, enjoying the way the heat lit her eyes and then darkened them nearly to black. She tried to keep her gaze on my face, her eyes on mine, but the rest of her had other ideas, I stood there, confident, while those blue eyes ate up every inch of my body. “Like what you see?”
She shrugged and her gaze flitted up to mine. “It’s nice, but I’ve seen better.”
“Liar,” I told her teasingly and took a step forward, feeling a swell of masculine pride at the panicked way she stepped back. “It’s okay to think I’m pretty, Maxine. I think you’re pretty.”
“I think you need some clothes, because that towel isn’t covering much.”
“Glad you noticed,” I snorted and stepped around her, claiming the side of the bed closest to the door. “The shower is all yours.”
She glared at me for a long time until the look was more of a lustful, longing stare filled with heat. And promises. My cock started to swell and I put my hands behind my head and crossed my legs, letting her get her fill until she was the nervous one. “Thanks,” she practically snarled and slammed the door behind her, locking it for good measure.
To keep from breaking the door down and ravishing Maxine, I reached for my phone and made one call to the hospital to let them know I was stranded and wouldn’t be able to make any emergencies tonight. I didn’t have a charger—hell, I didn’t have anything but my phone and wallet, because I hadn’t planned on being stuck. But now I couldn’t imagine anywhere else I wanted to be.
“You’re still undressed.”
I must have dozed off for a moment, because Maxine’s voice woke me up and my gaze met her legs, first. Long and bare and pale, with a tiny freckle behind her left knee. “So are you. I approve.”
She rolled her eyes. “My clothes are all wet.”
“Exactly. I’ll try to contain myself if you will.” That earned me another glare, but I didn’t care. My gaze committed every one of her curves to memory as she walked around to the other side of the bed.
“That won’t be a problem, Derek. You’re not as irresistible as you seem to think.”
I could only laugh at her false bravado. Maxine was a tough woman, but she was also a horrible liar. And her nipples were rock hard through the cheap motel towel. “I guess we’ll see,” I told her with a seductive grin. “Or I could kiss you again and prove you wrong.”
Her nostrils flared and then that pink tongue darted out and slicked across her bottom lip. She was thinking about kissing me, or about our past kisses. “Derek.”
“Maxine.”
She grinned. “You’re arrogant, anyone ever tell you that?”
“Not arrogant. Confident. I can read the signs, Maxine. I look at you and I see the desire on your face and your body, the same as I’m feeling. But if you don’t feel it, too, consider this conversation over.”
“Let’s do that,” she said, her gaze laser-focused on mine as she yanked the towel free and it fell to the floor. “No more talking.”
It took a moment for her words to penetrate the fog of my brain, consumed as it was by the sight of Maxine nude. Gloriously naked. Her smooth skin was pale everywhere, with little brown freckles placed strategically around her body like a scavenger hunt. Strawberry pink nipples capped off teardrop breasts that gave way to a small waist, flared hips and shapely legs, plus an ass that brought a tear to my eye. “Maxine. You’re gorgeous.”
“No more talking,” she teased and placed one knee and then the other onto the bed. She let out a squeal of surprise when I yanked her towards me until her body lay across mine.
“Maybe I like talking,” I told her, watching the way my words made her eyes glaze over. “Maybe I like watching the way you listen to my words.” She opened her mouth to respond, but I fixed my mouth over hers and proceeded to devour her in slow, seductive strokes of my tongue, taking in every little moan and cry that escaped from her lips. Her words and her actions, the way she arched into me when she wanted more, was the perfect roadmap to her pleasure.
“Derek,” she panted and let her fingers play in my hair while my mouth tasted every inch of her body, lingering on her gorgeous breasts until she trembled on top of me.
“So soft.” My murmured words were mostly nonsense because my brain was fried, filled up completely with the sight of her pale freckled skin, the intoxicating scent of her, fresh from the shower, mixing with her arousal. Everywhere my hands and my lips touched burned into my memory. “So fucking perfect.”
“Derek, please.” Her words, her pleas, were just what I needed and when I found her wet and swollen, pulsing with need for me between her thighs, I dove in and got lost in the smell, the taste, and the sounds of pleasing Maxine. She squirmed and cried out, pulled my hair and arched into me, begging for more. Begging me. “I need to come, Derek.”
Was anything hotter than a woman who knew her pleasure and wasn’t afraid to go after it? I took one leg and lifted it over my shoulder, watching her watch me as I slid two fingers deep inside of her. “You need to come, Maxine?” She nodded, lips swollen and slick from my kisses. “Then let’s make you come, shall we?” I found exactly the spot I wanted and tugged on her clit with my teeth at first and then my lips, enjoying the noises she made when she was lost to ecstasy.
“Derek!” Her body vibrated and her hands tangled in my hair, pulling strands from the roots, but I was so lost in the moment, so dedicated to pulling every ounce of pleasure from her that I could, that I didn’t give a damn. “Derek, yes! Oh, yes!” And then she was there, falling apart all around me. Trembling and shaking as her pleasure leaked from her body to my mouth, my chin. The flavor of her orgasm burst on my tongue, making me hard as a rock and hungry as hell for this woman. “Derek, please,” she panted when I kept licking her, slowly, until her pleasure subsided.
“Too much?”
Her grin was lazy and satisfied. “It feels great, but I need something else.” She tapped her chin playfully and I realized I liked this flirty version of her, too. A lot. “Something bigger.”
“Sounds interesting. What else?”
“Harder,” she said in a husky voice and reached between our bodies to wrap her delicate hand around my cock. “Yeah, that’s about hard enough. Big enough, too. Maybe.”
It took less than a moment for me to get rid of my towel and pin Maxine to the bed, both hands trapped over her head in one of my own. “Maxine, don’t tease me.”
“But it’s so much fun,” she panted and squirmed beneath me, smiling mischievously when she saw the effect she had on me. “So. Much. Fun.”
My jaw clenched when she touched me again, her hand so soft but her grip firm. Perfect. “Satisfied?”
“Only time will tell,” she said on a moan as she fisted my cock and rubbed the head between her slick folds. “Oh, yes.”
“Put me inside of you, Maxine.” She looked up at me, blue gaze black with need and flaring at the command. “Now, Maxine.”
She did as she was told, barely able to keep her eyes open as I filled her, slowly at first until my balls smacked against her flesh. “Oh, fuck. Yes!” Hearing that dirty word come from her mouth only made my cock harder, stiffer. “Oh!”
I smiled at her reaction and sat up, grabbing her thighs so she was completely open and exposed to me. “Your pussy is so pretty, Maxine. So pink and swollen.” I had her attention and I licked the tip of my index finger and rubbed circles over the tight nub, groaning at the way she arched into my touch.
“Derek, yes!”
She reached for my wrists and dragged my hands up her body unt
il they were on her breasts, squeezing and kneading them, just the way she wanted. I gripped her tight, playing with her nipples while I thrust in and out of her. Fast and hard, while she begged for more. “So fucking tight.”
“Derek, yes. More!” Her legs wrapped around my waist and she bucked against me, my little wildcat. I was lost to how eagerly, how energetically, she went after her pleasure and mine. It was more than I’d expected. Better than what I’d expected. “Oh, fuck, Derek! Yes! Oh yes!” And once more, she was coming, hard and fast and violent.
I held her hips tight and continued thrusting deep into her pulsing, convulsing body, listing to her screams and cries as her pleasure mounted higher and higher. “Maxine, fuck!” Liquid heat flooded her body and the friction made my eyes cross, my hips move of their own free will, plunging in out and out of her sweet heaven while she rode out her pleasure, clamping down hard on my cock. “Max!” One hand found her clit and my fingers flicked it over and over while I rode out my pleasure.
“Oh. My. God!” Maxine’s fingernails dug into my back, leaving crescent-moon-shaped divots in my skin as another, more violent orgasm crashed over her and out of her in a rush of liquid that said I had done what I set out to do.
Drive Maxine wild.
“You’re right, Maxine, you are the irresistible one.” I placed a kiss on one breast, right beside the nipple, and then on the other. “Completely.”
She let out a harsh, ragged laugh in her breathless state. “You don’t have to lay it on so thick, Derek.”
I smiled down at her and let my hands roam up and down her body until her nipples were hard once again, legs opened and back arched. I kept touching her until she was primed and ready for another orgasm. “I’m happy to show you how irresistible I find you, Maxine.”
She sighed up at me, mischief burning in her eyes. “If you feel as if you have something to prove, who am I to stop you?”
Misters of Love: A Small Town Romance Boxset Page 22