“Damn good salesman,” May said. She lifted her arms and wound them around Chandler’s neck. That moved her curves even closer against him. Her body tightened in anticipation. He groaned as she fit against him.
And then Chandler’s mouth moved on hers and his hands pulled her hips closer to his body. Sinful pleasure flooded her body. Their tongues dueled as his hands moved from her waist up to her breasts and cupped their fullness in his hands. One hand moved down to her back under her T-shirt while the other moved up the front to cover her breast and stroke the hardened nub straining against the ivory fabric that held it.
May bucked against him and moaned at the hardness she felt pressed tightly to her. She moved her arms from around his neck down to his waist. Her hands reached around and cupped his tight ass.
Chandler jerked against her, and May squeezed again.
Chandler broke the kiss and kissed his way along her jaw and her neck where her pulse beat frantically in her throat. His right hand moved under her bra and eased it over her full breast. Then he lifted her shirt before she knew it and settled his mouth over her breast.
May cried out in pleasure as Chandler stroked and sucked the nub. She clutched the back of his head and arched her body closer to him. Her body throbbed in need. It had been too many years to count. May trembled against him.
His left hand moved down to press against the tight vee of her jeans, and May whimpered and fought to keep control. Pleasure spun through her relentlessly and built almost painfully. She closed her eyes.
Chandler moved his hand so it rested between her legs while his thumb moved unrelentingly up to press against her aching center. He licked her nipple one last time and lifted his head. His ragged breath washed over her neck as he ducked his head.
“Come for me, May.”
The softly spoken words lit the fuse she fought so hard to control. May’s body clenched and jerked up as the first wave of her orgasm brutally ripped through her. She cried out as Chandler pressed harder against her. Unspeakable pleasure coiled tightly in her, and she came a second time while her body helplessly thrust up against him.
May was a trembling mass of sensation as they both stood there in the kitchen clinging to one another. Surely there were words for every situation. But none were available to her now. Sorry I came twice while you’re still aroused?
She shut her eyes and bit her lip. Chandler trembled in her arms and fought for control. Guilt swamped her. May had taken her pleasure and had given him none. She bit her lip. Easy enough to remedy.
May started to slide down his body when Chandler’s hands stopped her. He shook his head.
“No, May.”
She looked up into his chocolate-brown eyes and opened her mouth to apologize.
Chandler lightly placed the tip of his finger against her lips. “My only regret is that I wasn’t inside you when you came.” He stroked his thumb over her bottom lip and smiled. “But I wouldn’t change a second of that for anything.”
May blushed. Oh God. What is the right thing to say? She had one breast out of her bra and wet panties. Where in the hell did she go from there?
“So.” Chandler leaned casually against the table. “When are you taking me out?”
She looked down and noted the large bulge in the front of Chandler’s shorts. Words failed her.
He chuckled and shifted. “I’m up here, May.”
May met his gaze and blinked. “What?”
“When are you taking me out? Showing me the town?”
They both heard the noise at once. A little person babbling after her nap. Billie now awake.
Chandler unclipped the walkie talkie. “Amanda comes to pick her up tonight, and I’m off babysitting duty until Monday.”
Billie’s voice rose over the walkie talkie.
May knew it would only be a matter of minutes before she let loose her displeasure.
“Friday night,” she blurted out.
A pleased smile lit Chandler’s features. “I look forward to it. Say, around six?”
“Six,” May repeated.
Chandler leaned forward and kissed May’s cheek gently. “I’ll see you then.” He clipped the walkie talkie back to his belt and left out the patio door.
There were several things to do after encountering a situation like the one she just had. May tucked her breast back into her bra and reached for the coconut rum. She calmly took a glass from the cabinet and poured into it until a third full. Then she snagged a diet soda from the refrigerator and added it to her alcoholic concoction.
May stirred it with her finger and took a healthy swallow.
The young hot neighbor she had no intentions of getting involved with just assisted in giving her two powerful orgasms. And she had a date with him Friday. Let’s not forget part A or part B. Both were particularly special.
May gulped down another large swallow.
The memory of his hands and mouth on her body washed over her.
“Oh, help me,” she muttered and took another swallow.
May glanced at the glass and frowned. Her drink gone. But she had a feeling her problems with self-control and her young neighbor were only beginning.
She set the empty glass down and rubbed her temple.
“I am a grown woman.” May nodded. “I am an older woman who knows better.” Good. She could latch onto that.
“I’m an older woman who knows better and who can’t give Chandler what he needs.” May frowned. True enough. She remembered how he was with Billie. There should be little Chandlers running around. He was wonderful with his niece. There would never be any children for her.
May flicked off the kitchen light and walked down the hallway to her room. Her desire to work in the garden simply gone. All she wanted to do, take a relaxing bath and slip between the covers.
Had she ever felt so relaxed? Even her leg was only a low frequency hum of pain.
May stripped slowly and placed her clothes in the hamper. She walked into the bathroom and bent to start her water. The candles were lit one by one, and she waited for the tub to fill.
Her eyes found the scar on her leg, and she followed the path with her index finger. A hideous reminder of an horrific accident. But also a turning point for her. How long could she have been the golden goose for her parents? To blindly obey their edicts and continue to support two high-maintenance people who didn’t give a damn about her?
May turned the faucets off and slid into the hot water. It felt wonderful. She leaned back against her bath pillow and closed her eyes.
Maybe tomorrow she would actually make it to Spades and order some stone. A nice slate would work. Or a red brick. Then she would see about refinishing her furniture. Then the fountain.
May finished her bath and wrapped the towel around herself. Tomorrow. It will all be here tomorrow. She dried off and climbed into bed nude. Sleep came seconds later.
* * * *
Someone held May tightly while they rocked back and forth. The scent of flowers and the earth filled her nostrils. It comforted her in a way she couldn’t possibly put to words. But May’s eyes simply wouldn’t open.
“You’re a beauty, aren’t you?” The soft voice moved over her. “Such a good girl with so much talent. I often wondered about little girls here. Where I come from, girls are so different.” A light laugh. “I suppose that’s to be expected.”
The visitor stroked May’s hair and lightly kissed her forehead. “I know you’re still in there, May. I can feel you trying to rise above this.” A gentle sigh. “It won’t be easy for you. I know that. But I couldn’t just sit by and do nothing.” She hugged May tighter. “You called to me. None other has.”
May felt her body shifted back to the bed.
“They’re coming.” The voice sounded wistful and disappointed. “But I’ll be back later.”
A kiss on her forehead. “Be well, May.”
* * * *
May’s eyes flew open. The dream lingered with a preciseness that full consciousness would eventu
ally try to dull. It had been more than a dream. Hadn’t it? It remained as a memory. The light from outside spilled through her curtains while she replayed the scene over and over again in her head.
Had there been another visitor while she was in the hospital? No one ever mentioned her. In fact, there were many times the nurses gazed at May with pity in their eyes. The solitary broken girl.
She frowned. All rather odd.
The phone rang, and she started from her thoughts.
May snatched the phone from the cradle without checking the caller ID.
“Hello?”
“May Fairchild?”
She paused and cursed the impetuousness. The voice didn’t ring any bells.
“I’m sorry. She’s running errands. Can I take a message?”
“Please tell Miss Fairchild that William Campbell called.” He recited his number, but May didn’t even attempt to jot it down. Her old agent’s son apparently didn’t understand the word “no”. A pity.
May hung up the phone and flopped back down on the bed. Almost eight. Perhaps a little breakfast and then a run to the local hardware store. A good plan.
She grabbed a sea foam green robe from her closet and tied it around her waist. May walked out of her room and directly into the kitchen. Her newest plant shone brightly on the table.
“Hello, my beauty.” She stroked the leaves softly and made her way to the refrigerator. There hadn’t been a chance to look up the plant parents. Maybe sometime this weekend. May reached for a container of strawberry banana yogurt and a peach. She ate both standing up and washed them down with water.
The sash of her robe loosened, and May pulled her lapels together half-heartedly. No need to retie what she was about to take off. She put her spoon and glass in the dishwasher.
The slight tap on the glass door scared the hell out of her. A good thing she leaned on the support of the cabinet.
May’s head jerked up, and her heart raced. Chandler Hughes stood there with a big grin on his face. She retied the sash quickly and walked over to the door.
“You like just popping up, don’t you?”
Chandler held up his hands. “I don’t have your phone number. This just seemed easier.”
“Oh, hell,” she muttered. May grabbed a scratch piece of paper and scrawled her number along the bottom. She shoved the scrap of paper at her neighbor. “Try that. It’ll be easier for my heart.”
Chandler sighed and shoved the piece of paper in his jeans pocket.
“Yes?” she prompted. “What else?”
“What should I wear Friday night?”
“What?”
“I want my choice of apparel to be suitable.”
May blinked. “I haven’t had enough caffeine in my body to continue this conversation.” She turned and grabbed a diet soda from the refrigerator. The bubbles hit her throat and stomach with a pleasant punch.
“Oh, by the way.”
She turned and stared at Chandler. “By the way, what?” If he attempted to seduce her this morning, she would… May started. Oh hell, who was she kidding? She would be totally screwed. In more ways than one. She edged to the other side of the table.
“I still need help with my yard.” Chandler spread his hands out. “I’m kinda hopeless.”
“Oh.” The word short with relief and disappointment.
“We are still going to work on that, right?”
“I’m going to Spades today.”
“Really?” Chandler’s eagerness was palpable. “That’s the hardware store, right?”
“It is.” May took another swig of soda and then set the can down. “They have a lot of tools to begin work on your yard with. But if you seriously want to make a difference, you’ll need flowers and plants.”
Chandler nodded. “I want it to look nice.” He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and unfolded it on the table. A detailed plan of planters, paths, and purpose. Incredible would have been putting it mildly. The finished product would be stunning.
May glanced up in shock. “Where did you get this?”
“Cable.” Chandler shrugged. “They have a lot of home shows. I like to watch those.”
She blinked. Twice. What can I do with a man who simply watched a couple of cable shows and could cook a gourmet dinner and draw up the plans to landscape his yard with such detail an architect would weep?
May tapped the piece of paper. “Have you always been able to do that?”
Chandler shrugged easily. “Pretty much. Used to drive Amanda stupid.”
May could well imagine. She refolded the paper and slid it across the table. “Give me half an hour to dress. We’ll meet in my driveway and head down to Spades.”
“Perfect.” Chandler slid his paper back into his pocket and grinned. He leaned down and brushed his lips across May’s. “See you in half an hour.” Seconds later, he was gone.
May touched her lips and rubbed her temples. “Perfect.”
Chapter 7
The day was a bit overcast. May slid on a pair of khaki capris and a matching sleeveless blouse. Her lingerie consisted of a brilliant snow-white that wouldn’t show through her top. She slid her feet into tan sandals with a thick sole.
Twenty-seven minutes later, she walked out her back door and through the backyard gate. Chandler waited patiently by her car.
It was wrong to imagine his hands and mouth on her body. May stumbled a step and cursed herself. Her leg not her handicap. More and more it was Chandler Hughes.
“Hop in.” Her voice terse.
Chandler opened the door and sat down. He buckled in and waited.
May cursed herself, her leg, the clouds, pretty much everything. She slid into her seat and started her car.
“You’re done with the latest video game?”
He shook his head. “Not quite. But I’m close.” Chandler tilted his head back and smiled at her. “I had a major breakthrough that night I saw you in the window.”
May’s right hand jerked against the steering wheel. She fought to keep her voice steady. “Is that right?”
“Nothing like the sight of a nocturnal angel to shed a little light on a problem.”
May glanced over with a sharp retort on her tongue. It died quickly at the intense look on Chandler’s face.
“I apologize.” May looked back to the road. “I woke with my leg feeling better so I decided to explore the second floor. I didn’t mean to be intrusive.”
Chandler’s hand settled over hers. “You weren’t intrusive. I felt flattered you were looking.”
May blushed. “Do all our conversations have to center around sex?”
“I was talking about voyeurism,” he retorted blandly. “What were you thinking?”
She turned with a sharp comment when she saw the laughter in his eyes. “You ass,” she muttered.
Chandler brought her hand to his mouth. “Ah, May. Your modesty is beautiful.”
Her left hand convulsed on the wheel at the feel of his lips on her hand. “You’re going to get us in an accident.”
He put her right hand back on the steering wheel. “Better?”
“Yes, thanks.”
They rode in silence the rest of the way and pulled into the Spades parking lot. Still fairly early. There wasn’t a big crowd which May was thankful for. Less chance of running into someone she didn’t want to see.
They walked together through the sliding doors. May grabbed a large flat cart and started to the left. Chandler gaped at the large piece of metal.
“Are we going to use that?”
“This isn’t Wal-Mart, honey.” May drawled and grinned. “You’ll be glad. I promise.”
Chandler fell in behind her.
May didn’t tell him that not only was the cart purposeful for the purchases, it helped her keep her balance for the long trip. They had gotten no further than the second aisle when Larry strode toward them with a large grin on his face.
“Two times in one week!” he exclaimed. “Wonders neve
r cease.”
May arched her eyebrow. “Larry Crown. Don’t think to come over here and distract me with all your chitchat and whatnot. I have a mental list. You don’t get to add to it.”
Larry winked at Chandler. “Wouldn’t think of it, May.” He paused. “I do, however, have a rare purple iris that shipped in this morning.” Larry bowed his head reverently and put his hand on his heart. “I have never seen the like.” He glanced up with dancing blue eyes and waited.
May glared at him. “Larry Crown meet Chandler Hughes. Chandler, this is Larry Crown.” Her brown eyes squinted. “Larry Crown is the owner of Spades. A man who knows my weaknesses and doesn’t hesitate to exploit them for his bottom line.”
Chandler grinned. “I’ll buy you a beer one night, and you can share all the information you have.”
He stared at Larry and didn’t see the alarm that passed over May’s face, but Larry did. He winked at the young man. “May’s a complicated one, all right.” He hesitated and leaned closer. “But I will tell you that this lady can’t resist an iris. They’re one of her favorites.”
May looked from one man to the other and shook her head. “Bond on your own time.” She inwardly sighed. “And take me to see the damn iris.”
Larry’s grinned triumphantly and took a butterscotch out of his shirt pocket. “You’ll thank me when she blooms in your yard, sugar.”
She stuck the butterscotch in her mouth which made it hard for her to pout. “Lead on, Larry.”
* * * *
The shopping trip took almost two hours. May’s leg throbbed painfully in the checkout line. Chandler ended up buying several tools for his yard and a couple of non-poisonous houseplants so Billie wouldn’t be in danger.
May assured him that if he could keep those plants alive for a month, they would implement his detailed plans for a yard that would be the envy of the neighborhood.
Larry had been right about the irises. She arranged to have a dozen of them delivered the next day. May also picked out a series of stones that melded both red and slate in them. The perfect accessory for her yard. They should be delivered within a week.
Chandler paid for his supplies, and then May paid her bill. She looked longingly at the cart beneath her hands. It would have to go back with the other little carts, and she would be left to limp along. May pushed it over to the other carts and turned around. Chandler stood right behind her. He slung his arm easily over her shoulders and squeezed.
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