She’d trusted him three years ago. Had given herself to him like she’d never a man before. She hadn’t understood the pull then. Why it had been so easy to let him in. To let him see all of her, physically and emotionally, without any inhibition. But she’d gone with it and being with him all that time ago had been absolutely amazing.
Now, she knew him so much better. Knew he was a good man and that, if he said or did something, he meant it. Always.
What she didn’t get was how being with him felt so much different than it had with anyone else. Not that her sexual repertoire had given her a lot of fodder for comparison, but she’d experienced enough to realize that Josh was both different and incredibly dangerous. And she wanted him. Right now.
“Yesss,” she moaned when he shifted closer, dipped a little, and ground the hard ridge of his erection against her core, his fingers still clamped around her ankle while the other hand curved over her opposite hip.
“That what you want?” he growled, grating into her again with such slow, intense, agonizing pressure that the entire head of his cock sprung free from his underwear, gliding along her moistened seam, over and over again.
She clenched her eyes shut and bit at her lip, the blanket fisted in her hands as she let loose a low, throaty, desperate laugh. “You know it is.”
“Tell me.”
That had her eyes flying open again, locking on his while he let go of her hip to push his underwear and shorts down to his knees.
She wet her lips at the sight of him, so big and perfect, bobbing between her legs and glistening at the tip. Vaguely, she was aware of him digging a condom from his wallet and tearing open the package. But her focus remained on that beautiful erection, a wily feminine pride stirring low in her belly, knowing it was all for her and because of her.
When she reached up again, he didn’t stop her, instead rested back on his haunches and watched her hand wrap around him, so pale in comparison to his flushed, strained shaft. She stroked him from base to head, her thumb caressing away the dewy drop at the tip before she fell back against the blanket and stuck the digit between her lips, licking off his essence.
He groaned, rolled on the condom and was right there…
“Tell me, Carissa.” Holding the root of his gorgeous cock, he teased against her clit and spread her moisture, but he gave her nothing more. The tight, clenched jaw expression on his face told her he had to fight for every second he held back.
“I want you inside me,” she whispered. “All of you. Now.”
And he gave her just that, easing in slowly, letting her feel and savor every bit of him. It was the most erotic feeling ever, to be filled by him. So stretched. So utterly taken.
Her already pebbled nipples tightened into rigid peaks and her sex pulsed, ready for another round. She looked up at him, in awe of the raw agony on his face as he pulled out and sank back in, over and over again, watching every movement. His nostrils flared and a fine sweat broke out on his brow.
She pushed up on her elbows and watched too. The stunning sight had her already pounding heart racing and hot blood swooshing in her ears. And lower.
Josh. After all this time. So beautiful.
Fingers slipping between her thighs, she touched herself for him even more than herself.
“Yes,” he grunted, his hips moving faster, fingers digging deeper with every home-hitting thrust. “Show me how you do it, baby.”
Happy to oblige him, she rubbed and tweaked at her sensitive nub until her legs shook and her ears rang, and until Josh hissed his greedy demand.
“I wanna feel it, Carissa. I wanna feel you come all over me.”
“Then fuck me harder.”
He growled, hiked her leg up again, tightened the angle and slammed into her harder than she thought possible. She came instantly, crying out his name in ragged breaths. Two purposeful thrusts later, he followed after her, surging, groaning, and cursing his completion.
***
He collapsed down, bracing himself on his elbows above her, just close enough to bury his face in her neck.
Her fingers were light on his back, stroking him from shoulder to hip, while they both caught their breath. After several long moments, he slid to the side, tucking her against him. She curled into him willingly, her hands soft against his stomach.
Staring up at the ceiling, he teased his fingers up and down her arm. Though he couldn’t imagine not sharing these blissed out moments with her, his head was already rolling with the “what the hell did you just do?” he knew would come.
Pulling in a deep breath, he pushed the thoughts away. He’d deal with them later. When he couldn’t smell her sweet shampoo or feel her heart beating against his chest or when she wasn’t…crying?
What the hell?
Josh froze, panic blooming, when Carissa’s little body had begun to quake next to his.
“Car?” He pulled her on top of him and pushed the hair back from her face, only to see that she wasn’t crying at all—she was laughing.
“Not nice to laugh at a guy less than ten seconds after sex, babe,” he muttered, falling back down against the blanket.
She continued to quake, her face pressed into his neck. “How long has the power been out?”
He blinked against the near darkness. It was only light enough he could see her face and a dim view of the room around them. Well, hell. “I have no idea.” He laughed too.
“Guess we got kinda distracted, huh?”
“All your fault.”
She lifted her head and smiled down at him. “I’ll own that.”
He grinned. “I thought we agreed there’d be no more assaulting one another.”
“Uh-uh. Two consenting adults does not an assault make.”
“I’m pretty sure my dick would say otherwise.”
To that, she snorted. “I’m sorry. I got kinda greedy. And I told you it’d been awhile.”
Yeah, she had. He wondered if her definition of ‘awhile’ and his were the same, but he didn’t ask. “No worries. I obviously enjoyed myself.”
“Obviously.” She gave him a sexy smile and pushed up to brush a kiss across his lips. The gesture was sweet and warm and it should have been nice, but instead it had panic stirring in his gut again.
“You remember what I said about this being only the once?” He held her away, wishing he didn’t have to.
“I do. Total shame though considering you just gave me the best orgasms of my life.”
Good God. “I hope like hell this means I won’t have to worry about you calling Pretty Boy later. Or tomorrow while I’m out of town.”
“You’re really worried about him, aren’t you?” She wrinkled up her nose and made a cute face, a smile playing on her lips while she traced her fingers down his chest and around his nipple.
He arched an eyebrow. “You didn’t rule out sleeping with him.”
To that, she laughed and snuggled against him again. “You’re cute when you’re jealous. I like it.”
He exhaled carefully. He loved her spread all over his body, but it didn’t pair well with the “only once” bit. Neither did her comment. “Hopefully those orgasms will tide you over for a while. At least long enough for both of us to shake this crazy shit.”
“Hopefully. But I doubt it.”
“Carissa…”
She poked a finger into his chest. “Hey, you might’ve just stirred up a hornets’ nest. Who knows? I may go absolutely nympho now, throwing myself at every man I see.”
With that, he slid his hand to her ass and jerked her body tight against his. He leaned up and glared at her, but said nothing. He was pretty sure his pissed expression covered his feelings on the matter.
“You’ve really gotta work on those jealousy issues, Hudson,” she said quietly, before sliding off of him entirely. He watched her pert little ass saunter toward her panties and dress a few feet away. When she bent to retrieve them, she gave him a view of her sex that even the near darkness couldn’t hide. He groaned
and got to his feet as well, making a quick trip to the bathroom to flush the condom. “You know, it’s not so dark I can’t see that amazing butt,” she called after him and he rolled his eyes.
When he came back into the room, she was already shimmying back into her dress. A shame, because he really could’ve used a few more minutes ogling her amazing backside. He righted his boxer briefs and shorts and took care to shove the condom wrapper into his pocket. The last thing he needed was one of his guys stumbling across it next week.
“See, this isn’t too weird, right? I mean, it’s not so awkward we can’t work together or anything, is it?” She twisted her hair up into a messy bun and wrapped a hair tie around it, before folding the blanket back up.
Again, it wasn’t their relationship he was worried about. It was how the hell they were gonna face Fletcher. Or Dan and Maddie for that matter. Dan wouldn’t give a shit, other than to stand up for Carissa’s honor, but Maddie thought him nothing more than a horn dog like Fletcher. And she wouldn’t be thrilled with the idea of Carissa banging her fiancé’s best man. It might ruin her wedding or some other ridiculous shit.
“You okay?” she asked, when he didn’t respond.
He nodded and pulled his shirt back over his head. “Yeah. I just hope this grand idea of yours works and this crazy shit between us ends. Soon.”
A slight frown flashed on her face and he ignored it. “It will. Besides we only have a few more weeks of work on the house and then we’ll hardly ever see each other.”
Nice try, but they both knew that wasn’t true. They saw each other weekly, at minimum. And frankly, he’d wanted her long before he’d become her contractor. “We also have the wedding coming up,” he pointed out. "We can't hide from those obligations."
“That’s in six weeks. I think we can manage to act reasonable until then, can't we?"
Yeah right. It was a damn good thing he’d be out of town for the weekend, because there wasn't a reasonable thought in his head right now. He wanted her again and he wanted her soon.
“You remember I’m in Omaha this weekend for drill, right? Tony may be around messing with the wiring a bit, but for the most part, the place is all yours. To paint or whatever you want to do.”
She nodded. “When are you leaving?”
“Four in the morning.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh my God, I’m sorry!"
To that, he smiled. “For begging me to fuck you? Never apologize for that.”
The blush on her cheeks was friggin' beautiful.
No. Not beautiful. Not even cute. It was…nothing. “I should go.”
“Right. Well…thanks, I guess." Her smile was so forced it made him flinch. “I’ll see you Monday morning then?”
This nonchalance shit wasn’t going to work at all, he could tell already. “Right. Monday.”
“Great. I’m gonna get out of here too, before it gets any nastier out there. Take the pizza with you, okay? It's the least I can do, you know...” She gestured toward the floor where moments ago they'd been nearly naked.
He chuckled. "Stud fee, huh?"
“Sorry." She grinned as she bent to sweep up her bra, balling it in her hand. The thought of her not wearing it… Her nipples unabashedly rubbing around the inside of her dress… “Josh?” She waved a hand in front of his face.
“Sorry,” he mimicked her and she smiled.
“Thank you. For everything. I think this was a really good idea. Wish we would have thought of it sooner.”
Oh, he’d thought of it. More than she could ever imagine.
“I feel better already, in fact.” She lifted her shoulders, pulled in a deep breath through her nose and exhaled through her mouth. “Yep, definitely better.”
His eyes locked on her ass as she pranced out of the room.
Too bad he couldn’t say the same.
Chapter Eleven
Despite having roughly a month’s worth of yard work and painting to do at the flip, Carissa gave herself permission to spend Saturday being the model maid of honor. She picked Maddie up at 10 am for an indulgent brunch at Jose’s Diner…before their lunchtime dress fittings at Lolita’s Bridal. Then, elated they’d both fit perfectly into their wedding attire, despite chowing down on copious amounts of pancakes and bacon, they decided they each deserved an iced caramel latte. With whipped cream. And caramel drizzle.
“Mmm, so good,” Jenny, owner of La Beautif Salon in downtown River Bend, moaned as she sipped the cool coffee concoction Carissa and Maddie brought her as bribery for a couple drop-in pedicures. Given the orgasmic look on her face, the corruptive gesture had served its purpose.
Maddie laughed. “Told ya it would work.”
Jenny gave a thumb’s up and directed them into the open pedi chairs. “Hey, I haven’t gotten laid in three weeks. I so needed this drink.”
Carissa smiled as she kicked off her flip-flops and got comfy in one of the big seats. If Jenny thought three weeks was bad, she’d probably shrivel up and die at how long Carissa had held out. Of course, thanks to Cameron County’s hottest contractor, the issue had been resolved and her sex life fabulously rejuvenated. At least for one night.
“So the count is on, huh?” Jenny asked Maddie while she set out containers of nail polish for them to pick from and began her foot magic. “August 12th is going to come so fast, your head’s gonna spin.”
“Oh, her head’s spinning already,” Carissa spoke up. “She’s just a master at the whole calm exterior bit. Must be the CPA in her. Always so quiet and collected.”
Maddie snorted. “Quiet? Dan will tell you differently, believe me.”
Carissa and Jenny both laughed.
“All I can say is I’m glad the two of you are catching a flight immediately after the reception and not spending the night in the hotel with the rest of us. No one but Dan needs to hear you screaming his name all night long.” Carissa winked and then handed Jenny a bottle of bright fuchsia polish.
“Oh, please. You say that like you’ve heard it before.” Maddie rolled her eyes.
“I have. I lived with you for two weeks when I first moved to town, remember?”
A crooked grin twisted one side of her friend’s mouth. “So I like to sing my man’s praises. Sue me. At least I’m getting some.”
Jenny groaned. “I probably would be too if it weren’t for that damn Heath—” She broke off quickly, wide eyes snapping up to Carissa. “Oh, shit. I’m sorry.”
A couple years ago, Carissa might have been too. But the truth was, Reed and Jenny had been each other’s slump lovers for years, way before Carissa had come along. That they’d rekindled their here-and-there fling of convenience after Carissa and Reed had broken up really hadn’t come as a surprise. Nor did it bother Carissa. Jenny had become a good friend and she’d respected Carissa enough to back off when she started seeing Reed. Of course, she'd also thought it necessary to ask Carissa’s permission to start sleeping with Reed again a few months back, which was just plain weird for Carissa, considering her relationship with Reed consisted of similar substance.
“You know I don’t care,” she said. “I mean, I don’t need details or anything, but what you and Reed do is your business.”
“I appreciate that. Not that it matters right now. Rumor has it he’s all hot and bothered over the bartender at McCauley’s.”
All three women shared a sigh and a few moments of silence as Jenny went to work on first Maddie's feet and then Carissa's. Maddie reclined back in her chair and closed her eyes, moaning softly every few moments, clearly enjoying herself.
Carissa was glad to see her friend taking a load off. Maddie had been working so diligently to get everything in order for the wedding and because of Carissa’s obligations at the flip, she hadn’t been able to help as much as she’d wanted. So, she savored the small, meaningful moments like this, knowing that she hadn’t let her friend down entirely.
As Jenny nudged Maddie’s toes back into the water and turned her attention to hers, Carissa's ph
one rang in her lap. The familiar ringtone forewarned her it was a call she didn’t want to take right now—or ever—so she let the cell ring one more time before sending it to voicemail. Today was about relaxing, not having it out with her older brother.
“You can’t hide from him forever,” Maddie spoke up, her voice quiet and slightly slurred as she continued to lounge like a languid cat. “Besides, of all the times to actually answer when he calls, this would be the one. You know…ten years and all.”
Right. Carissa was certain Cade was indeed calling because tomorrow marked the ten year anniversary of their mother’s passing. But he wouldn’t want to reminisce and share bittersweet stories about their childhood and the woman they both loved more than anything in the world. No, Cade would much rather remind her of the shitty daughter she’d been, shutting their drunk, broken father completely out of her life.
Since she'd already done enough of her own chastising over the years, she didn’t feel the need to subject herself to her brother’s cruel torture as well. Which meant she wouldn’t call him back. She never did.
Then her phone chirped, alerting her to a text message. Persistent today, wasn’t he?
Miss you. Love you. Call me.
Well, hell. Carissa didn’t want to feel anything at the sight of Cade’s kind words, but she did, dammit. Smack in the middle of her chest.
“Everything okay?” Maddie asked, with one eye open.
“Yep. He’s just checking in.” Crap, her voice didn’t squeak, did it?
“You know I invited him to the wedding.”
“I labeled the invitation.”
“I invited your dad, too.”
“What?”
Like she hadn’t purposely betrayed her, Maddie lifted a shoulder. “He’s one of my dad’s best friends. And I spent all that time at your house while we were growing up.”
Carissa blinked. She’d spent a lot of time at her house growing up, too. Didn’t change her bitterness over the fact that, after her mother’s fatal accident, her father turned into a chronically inebriated recluse who’d abandoned his remaining family for the bottle.
“Don’t look at me like that, okay? Besides, you know he won’t come.” Maddie’s nonchalance seriously grated on Carissa’s nerves. How could she be so totally whatever about the one thing that kept Carissa up at night?
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