“Can’t keep your mind on the task before you? I think there’s a name for that. Chaos? Whirlwind?” she said playfully, as she sauntered toward the flagstone.
“Two can play at this game.” He reached behind his back and pulled his shirt over his head. “Come on, sweet thing. Let’s lay some flagstone.”
Emery could deal with a lot of things, but a shirtless Dean Masters lifting and carrying large pieces of flagstone and practically oozing pheromones was a force not to be ignored. He moved with fluid determination, hefting and maneuvering, their bodies brushing against each other as he showed her how to place the pretty slabs and choose the angles, explaining details she was sure held some importance, but processing Dean’s words while he flaunted his body was a futile effort.
He carried the larger pieces of flagstone, but Emery insisted on carrying the smaller pieces. They were both covered in a layer of dust and dirt. Her outfit was filthy, but she didn’t care. Working with Dean was exciting and inspiring. Not only was he extremely generous with his kisses and sexy touches, but he was a veritable Picasso of flagstone, taking her vision of a sunbeam and helping to create it within the confines of the patio. They chose their pieces carefully, picking longer, slimmer slabs for the rays and a bulky piece for the heart of the sun. Conversation was fun, steamy, and gloriously comfortable. Emery told him how excited she was at the prospect of working at the assisted living facility, and Dean asked her again about going to the benefit dinner. This time she gave him a firm acceptance. She wanted to be there for him. If she could only learn to keep her mouth shut, she might not be so nervous about meeting his father.
“Wait until my brothers catch wind of me going to a highfalutin benefit dinner. They won’t believe it.”
Dean looked up from where he was setting a piece of flagstone. Moonlight flickered in his eyes. His body glistened from his hard work, despite the cool breeze whisking over the dunes. She’d never seen anyone more rugged or masculine, but that wasn’t what had her stomach doing that flip-floppy thing again. It was the way he was looking at her, like she’d always been part of his life and always would be. If she removed the underlying heat and sensuality, the strength of their friendship remained.
“We’ll take a picture of us all dolled up and send it to them.”
“Us,” she mused. “You are a possessive man.”
“I never was until you, doll.” He finished setting the flagstone and pushed to his feet. “I think Ethan, Alec, and Austin should see who’s taking care of their baby sister.”
“Do you, now?” Normally, a comment like that would piss her off. The thought of any man saying he was taking care of her was too similar to her brothers’ watchful eyes. But nothing about her relationship with Dean fit her norm, and she liked the way it sounded when he said it. She felt protected in a different way. A better way. Maybe the wine had gotten to her more than she thought.
Or maybe Dean was right and they were meant to be together.
“How fancy is this dinner?” she asked.
“It’s country-club fancy, but not boner-inducing, little-black-dress-slit-up-to-your-secret-treasure fancy. I don’t want to upset any of the wives because their husbands are ogling my girl all night.”
She bent to pick up the water bottle, and he whistled. “Baby, you bend over like that again, and I can’t be held responsible for my actions.”
She liked the sound of that, dirt and all. Taking in the gorgeous mosaic of colorful stones they’d laid, she said, “This has been the best night of my life.”
“Mine too, doll,” he said thoughtfully. “But it’s only the beginning. We make a great team.”
“Yeah,” she said a little breathlessly. “How much are we doing tonight?”
His eyes swept over the ground, coming to rest on her boots, then crawled up her body, lingering around her thighs and sending her stomach into another wild flurry. He licked his lips, stepping closer, his gaze traveling up to her breasts. She felt her nipples bead beneath the heat of his stare. She could do little more than watch him moving like a lion on the prowl, eyes narrow and solely focused on her as he took the water bottle from her hand and set it on the ground.
His gaze never left hers as his arms circled her waist and she melted against him.
“I think it’s time we focus on something else for a while. I think it’s time”—he kissed her shoulder—“that we focus on you.” One hand slipped beneath her skirt, and he groped her ass, firm and insistent. “And this pantiless perfection.”
His hand was rough and warm as he drew her body flush against his and took her in a deep kiss that tasted of wine and the unique manly essence of Dean. Rivers of desire slithered through her veins. When he tangled his other hand in her hair, angling her mouth in that possessive way she’d already come to expect, sparks zinged from her head to her toes, and something inside her snapped. Suddenly she couldn’t wait another second to have more of him, to be emotionally and physically closer. Using his shoulders for leverage, she went up on her toes, trying to climb him like the big, stable man he was. Her thigh moved up his, and she gave a little jump. He smiled against her lips, easily lifting her into his arms. She exhaled in relief as her legs wound around his waist.
Her hands roved over his warm flesh, over the hard ridges of his muscles and into his short hair. He was breathing as hard as she was. One hand moved to her breast. His strong touch brought another sense of relief, and she moaned into the kiss, rocking against his abs, needing so much more.
His fingers tightened on her ass, and he began walking—fast—toward the path.
“Where are we going?” she said between kisses. “No one can see us here!”
He kicked up his speed to a run. “I’m not making love to you in public—and I’m too dirty to touch you the way I want to.”
Oh, she loved the sound of that! “What about the dishes and the patio stuff?”
“I’ll deal with it tomorrow.”
He bolted toward his house, their teeth knocking as they kissed. Then they were in his yard, and he carried her into the outdoor shower.
“I need all of you,” he said as he turned on the shower and warm water rained down on them, fully dressed, devouring each other as they washed the dirt away.
He stripped off her shirt, fumbled with the front clasp of her bra and pushed it open, immediately taking one breast into his mouth. Sharp pleasure radiated through her.
“Oh God, Dean, that feels incredible.”
Every suck brought a spear of fire to the juncture of her thighs. She went up on her toes, and he tore his mouth away long enough to tug her skirt down over her boots. His mouth crashed against hers as she wrestled with the button on his shorts and made quick work of pushing them down. They got stuck on his boots, and he hopped and cursed as he tugged his boots and pants off. He tried to pull off her boots, but they were stuck, filled with water, and every tug brought more laughter. He finally gave up, standing naked before her. Adonis, personified. Only better, because he was hers. Her heart tumbled at the deeper emotions he’d unearthed. She felt out of breath and like she could breathe forever at the same time.
His gaze swept down her body as his arms circled her again. “Good Lord, Emery. You are perfect.”
She wound her arms around his neck and said, “We both know I’m nowhere near perfect, but I’m yours.” The words came so easily, so honestly, she had no doubts.
He stilled for only a few seconds before lifting her into his arms, but in that brief moment, she knew everything had changed.
“You are mine, and I am yours,” he said as he lowered her onto his shaft.
Warm water sprayed over her back, flecking his beard and shoulders as her sex stretched and pulsed around his formidable cock. She felt his shaft twitch inside her as he pushed in deeper. She closed her eyes, relishing every inch. He filled her so completely, she couldn’t stop a stream of appreciative moans from slipping out. Her nails dug into his wet skin with the pleasure and pain consuming her. A goo
d pain, the kind she knew would leave her sore tomorrow and craving him with every move.
“Fuck,” he said sharply. “Condom.”
He lifted her up, but she gripped his shoulders tighter. “I’m on the pill. Unless you’re worried about—”
“No,” he said harshly. “I’m clean. I never go bareback.”
Her cheeks split with a smile as she glanced between them, where his hard length was half buried inside her.
“Until now, doll. I promise. I’d never put you at risk. I haven’t even been intimate with a woman since I met you.”
Her heart took another unexpected hit. “I haven’t been with anyone either. Dean, I realized that I didn’t just want to stop dating friends. I stopped dating anyone because I wanted to spend the evenings with you, even if long-distance.” She could practically see the gears in his mind churning, and she knew she’d thrown him for a loop with her confession.
“And your old boss? He wanted more than you could give?”
She nodded. “I guess I wasn’t ready to admit it, but I only wanted you.” As she lowered her mouth to his, she whispered, “Now fuck me like you mean it before I go out of my mind.”
When he was buried to the hilt, his fingers threaded into her hair and he gazed intensely into her eyes. “You,” he panted out, his cock throbbing inside her like a heartbeat. “Are my perfect.”
Chapter Sixteen
THE LINE BETWEEN real life and fantasy blurred in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, when, after Dean and Emery’s frantic and fantastic shower fuckfest, they’d landed in his bed, where he’d loved her properly. And then not so properly, he thought with a grin. Emery was a sweet tigress between the sheets. She liked control as much as he did, which led to the hottest sex of Dean’s life. He lay beside her now, only a couple hours after they’d fallen asleep, with his heart full, overwhelmed by the desperate need to make love to her again, slowly and sensually. Hot sex was amazing, but he wanted her to feel his love for her more deeply, to understand that what they had went deeper than anything he’d experienced before—and deeper than anything she had, either.
She lay on her stomach, the sheets strewn across one leg, her beautiful ass calling out to him. He’d never been an ass man, but when it came to Emery, he was an every-part-of-her-body man. He scooted lower, trailing his fingers lightly along the back of her legs, and followed them with his mouth. His heart ached as reality slowly filtered in. Today was Wednesday. Emery was moving out. He’d waited so long to be with her, and he didn’t know how he would survive waking up without her in his arms.
Struggling to push past that ache, he pressed his lips to the soft skin behind her knee, vowing not to let reality ruin the last few hours they had together under one roof. He kissed his way up the back of her thigh as he moved between her legs, nudging them open to accommodate his body. She made a mewling sound as he loved his way up and dragged his tongue along the crease at the cusp of her bottom. Her hips rose off the mattress, and he lifted them higher, turning over onto his back. He positioned himself between her legs, and reached up, cupping her breast.
“Good morning, beautiful.” He sealed his mouth over her sweetness and squeezed her nipple just hard enough to earn a lusty gasp.
She went up on her elbows. “Wow,” came out breathy and sexy as she rose onto her knees and grabbed the headboard. “Your mouth is the best alarm clock ever.”
He moved with her as she straddled his mouth. He clutched her hips, holding her tight against his mouth so he could love her deeper. She moaned and arched, and when he brought one hand to her clit, she made more of those addicting sounds. Her thighs squeezed around his head, sending heat searing to his cock, which was aching to get in on the pleasure. He ate at her swollen sex, taking her right up to the edge, then slowing, until she was grinding against his mouth.
“Please—” she begged.
He gave her all he had, loving her with his mouth and hands, until she moaned and bucked, surrendering to her climax.
“Holy freaking…God,” she panted out, but he refused to relent.
He held her hips tighter, devouring her more intensely, feeling every delicious pulse on his tongue as she cried out his name over and over again. Sounds he’d never forget. He wanted to hear so many they infiltrated his every thought. He took her right up to the peak again.
When she finally collapsed on top of him, he swept her beneath him, embracing her quaking body. His beard was wet with her arousal, her taste fresh and exciting. He should wipe his mouth, but he couldn’t wait. He pushed his hands beneath her, cradling the base of her skull as he covered her mouth with his. She kissed him eagerly, unfazed by the taste of her own arousal, igniting more of his carnal desires. Gone was his ability to slow down and love her carefully. Would he ever be able to? She was the soil to his seed, the sun to his bud. She was the other half he’d never known he was looking for.
He lifted her knee to his hip and drove into her in one powerful thrust. They both moaned, then stilled. She was so tight, he realized she was probably sore from last night. He drew back quickly, catching her glassy eyes. A spear of pain ravaged his heart.
“Fuck. I’m sorry, doll. Did I hurt you?”
She shook her head. “No, no. It’s not that.” She closed her eyes for a second, and when they fluttered open, the ache in his heart dissipated. “You’re my perfect, too.”
AFTER THEIR BREATHING calmed and they came back down from the clouds, Dean stepped from the bed, bringing a groggy, sated Emery up beside him. She groaned, going boneless against him. He’d made love to her with the love of a thousand Cupids and the grace of a prisoner just freed from jail. It wasn’t slow or careful, but it was wonderfully, perfectly them.
“A quick shower, and then we’ll watch the sunrise. Example outing number three.” That got her attention.
She peered around him, squinting in the direction of the nightstand. “Is that…?” She leaned forward and peered into the half-open drawer. “My necklace?”
He reached into the drawer and withdrew her leather necklace with the two little charms. “I found it on the couch right after you moved in.”
“And you kept it,” she said with a playful smile.
“I should have asked, but yes. It makes me feel closer to you.”
“Hm. I wonder if that’s what serial killers say when they keep a lock of their victim’s hair.”
He clenched his jaw even though she said it teasingly. “You make me sound creepy. Here.” He set the necklace in her hand, and she closed her fingers around it.
“Do you know what the charms mean?”
He shook his head.
“You know I’m a Gemini, which means I’m an air sign. My father used to tell me that I was like the wind, hard to catch and easy to get swept up in, but too adventurous to settle down.” She turned the charms over and pointed to the one with three squiggles on it. “Air sign. When I graduated from high school and didn’t want to go away to college, I tried attending community college. But I could not sit through the classes. My mind wandered, and I was bored to death. I basically sucked at school. Well, that type of school, anyway. My mom suggested I try taking an exercise class to combat my boredom. I must have signed up for twenty different exercise classes over the next year, each one less fun than the next. I stayed away from yoga because I was…”
“A whirlwind?” he offered.
She laughed softly. “Exactly. Anyway, one day Desiree, who’d tried her best to never talk about her mother back then, told me that her mother meditated religiously. You know her mother never stays in one place very long. I figured, what could it hurt? And I took a yoga class. I swear to you, that first class changed my life. For the first time ever, my mind calmed enough for me to sit still. The next time Lizza blew into town for a visit with Desiree, I was there when she arrived. I told her about how yoga had affected me. By then yoga had become my saving grace. You know I never feel complete unless I make it to the mat, and she understood that. I’ll never forge
t, she put one hand on my arm and said, ‘You’re a water sign. You need that.’ Of course, I’m not a water sign, so I told her she was wrong. But she insisted, and said she could see water all around me. That’s when I remembered that my mother had delivered me in an underwater birth. It was all the rage back then. And Lizza said, ‘See? You’re a unique person. You’re an air and a water sign.’”
She pointed to the other charm, which looked like waves. “The next time I went into town, I bought these charms.”
“What does the water sign signify?” he asked curiously.
“Water signs are intuitive and emotional. They’re overly sensitive, and a little mysterious.”
“For all Lizza’s faults, I have to agree with her there, doll. When I look into your eyes, I could drown in their depths.”
She curled against his side. “You’re softening that Viking image of yours with all this romance.” Smiling up at him she said, “I like that you wanted to keep a part of me with you. I want you to have it.” She set the necklace in the drawer and took his hand, leading him out of the bedroom. “You can thank me during our quick shower.”
The shower was anything but quick, but how could he have even tried to fool himself about being fast with his sexy tigress’s hands all over him.
But it was her mouth that did him in, when she sank to her knees and demanded, “Fuck my mouth like you own it.”
Christ. This woman…
Seeing her loving him with all she had, stopping only long enough to tease his balls with her tongue, was enough to bring him to his knees. But he wasn’t about to let his doll down. He leaned back against the shower wall and buried his hands in her hair, taking control as she’d requested. He was careful not to choke her, moving with tempered restraint. She squeezed his balls and he yanked her mouth off his cock.
“Don’t go easy,” she demanded. “Geez, big guy. Don’t you know me by now?”
Bayside Passions (Bayside Summers Book 2) Page 18