Body Image (Body Heat Series Book 2)

by Madeline Parr

  “If that’s sopressata I’m going to do something very delicious to you tonight,” I tease.

  “It is, and it’s fantastic. From that specialty meat market on Marx street.” He pops the cork off the sparkling wine and pours us each a generous glass.

  “This beats lukewarm beer in red Solo cups, right?” He hands me a glass.

  “It’s a nice change of pace. But I wouldn’t change a thing about last weekend.”

  “Me either, beautiful.” He wraps his arm around my neck and pulls me in for a kiss. This is entirely more enjoyable than I expected. I’m relieved to discover I don’t get seasick; the gentle rolling motion is relaxing as we sit side by side.

  “Do you ever go fishing out here?”

  “Nah. I’ve never really been one for sitting still for all that long. I think I’d drive myself nuts. Plus, I’d need someone to bait the hooks for me.”

  “What do you like to do for fun?”

  “Besides work?” he asks.

  “Work doesn’t count as fun,” I say.

  “Even if I enjoy it?”

  “Yes, even if you enjoy it.”

  “So, what would you do if you didn’t have to work anymore. If you woke up and had won the lottery and never needed to work again.”

  “I’d probably volunteer somewhere,” he says. “Maybe get more involved with the Boys and Girls Club in the city. I spent a lot of time there when I was a kid.”

  “The kids would love you,” I say, “I’m sure of it.”

  “Because I’m a big kid myself most of the time?”

  “Maybe. Don’t get me wrong - you are a lot of fun. I just think you’d be more than just fun to those kids. You’d be an inspiration, with how you built yourself up from nothing and made your own place in this world. It’s good for people to see an example of success when they can’t really picture it for themselves. So maybe you should cut back on work a little and head downtown once a week for a few hours. You never know - maybe you’ll cultivate so many hobbies you won’t have enough free time.”

  “You make it sound like I have nothing else going on.”

  “No, babe, you make it sound like you have nothing else going on.”

  “Well, I’ve always liked being outdoors. Hiking, exploring, anything like that. And I’ve always liked animals. I’ve wanted a dog since I was a little kid.”

  “And what’s stopping you now?”

  “It’s too much responsibility right now. My hours can get crazy and it wouldn’t be fair to leave some poor mutt home alone for hours at a time. It would be nice to have company when I go hiking, though.”

  “I’d could probably be talked in to it. If you asked really nicely,” I say, bumping his shoulder with my own. “Where do you like to go?”

  “Devil’s Rock. They have great trails and there’s hardly anyone around most of the time. You want to give it a shot? You don’t strike me as terribly outdoorsy.”

  “A very astute observation. As long as there’s a defined end point and I don’t have to sleep outside, I should be fine. It actually sounds kind of nice.”

  “Tell me, Caroline, what does an indoorsy girl do to stay occupied?”

  “When I’m not at work or the gym? I like to read.” I nibble at the cheddar on my plate.

  “What kind of books?”

  “Just about anything . . . Thrillers, literary fiction, cozy mysteries, memoirs. It’s the perfect way to step into someone else’s shoes for a few hours every night.”

  “You’re making me feel a little lowbrow right now.”

  “Don’t worry, I binge watch plenty of Netflix. And watch movies so trashy they’d make your skin crawl.”

  “What kind of trashy are we talking?”

  “Your standard B horror movies.” I snuggle in a little closer to his side.

  “So are you expecting Jason Voorhees to jump out of the water at any moment, hockey mask and all?”

  “I sure as shit hope not.” But my mind is like a runaway train most of the time, and just the idea gives me the creeps. “You said this was Silver Lake, not Crystal Lake, right?”

  He snakes an arm around my neck to tickle my shoulder and I jump a foot. We both laugh.

  The first fireworks of the night erupt into the sky. He quickly spreads a quilt and pillows on the leather benches so we can lay back and take it all in. I rest my head on his chest and my hair fans out over his arm.

  A giant shell erupts and the boom startles me as it reverberates through my chest. He wraps his arms around me and dips his head to kiss my cheek. The physical contact feels so damn good. His skin is warm and smells of soap. I can’t stop from wriggling against him, from rubbing my legs against his as I grind against his hip. He slides a hand down my side and cups my ass, pulling me against him even tighter.

  I tilt my head up and his eager and searching lips descend on mine. He winds his fingers through my hair and holds me close, mashing his lips against mine. I give as good as I get: nibbling his lips and sucking on his tongue. He slides a hand inside my dress and hefts my breasts one at a time. He traces each nipple with the pad of his finger before gently tugging on them. I moan against his lips and feel his cock twitch in his shorts. We’re so into each other we totally miss the pyrotechnic grand finale. And I don’t care one Goddamned bit.

  “Do you need me to call the rescue ATV at the conservation station?” Caroline is lagging a few feet behind me as we hike up the hill and she looks spent.

  “Very funny.” She manages a weak laugh. “I’d be better if I’d have remembered my allergy medication.” She lumbers over to a tree stump and sits. “And bug spray. I just need to take a little bit of a breather.”

  It’s been a rough hike for my not-so-fond-of nature girl. We saw a snake right out of the gate. She was too tough and stubborn to turn around so we kept trekking on. We were about one mile in when she tripped over a tree root and fell flat on her face. She hit the ground so hard I was certain something was broken, but she just had the wind knocked out of her. I insisted on going back but she wouldn’t hear of it.

  Something tells me things might be different now. Her pockets are stuffed with handfuls of used tissues and her eyes are red and swollen from the pollen. The welts from the mosquito bites aren’t helping either. She looks like she’s about to burst into tears at any moment. I’m a little in love with her stubbornness, but everyone has their breaking point.

  “Theoretically, how fast could we get out of here?”

  “Well, we’re about four miles into the 10 mile trail.” She looks like she might cry. “There aren’t really any shortcuts back, but we can turn around now and be back in an hour.” I extend my hand. She takes it and lifts herself to her feet.

  “I guess buying new hiking boots was kind of a boneheaded move,” she says. I squat down and examine her ankles and see blisters the size of quarters.

  “Oh babe.” I slide the small daypack off my back and resize it for her.

  “What are you doing?”

  “You’re going to wear the pack, and I’ll carry you piggyback. You can’t be walking in those boots anymore.”

  “Okay, Captain America. But, seriously, what are you doing?”

  I turn my back to her. “Step on that log and hop up. We’ll get going in no time.”

  “I’m not going to make you carry me for miles in this heat.”

  “You don’t have a choice. Either hop on my back or I’ll throw you over my shoulder like I did at Body Heat.”

  “Well, I’d hate to have a repeat of that,” she says as she clambers onto my back.

  “See,” I say as I take off back down the trail, “isn’t this better?”

  “For me, yeah. Probably not for you.”

  “Actually, it’s pretty good. You’re as light as a feather and you smell good.”

  “It’s my deodorant. I put on about a pound of the stuff this morning. I hate sweating.”

  “I bet this isn’t what you had in mind when you imagined me between your thighs,�
� I tease.

  “I don’t think I’ve felt less sexy in my entire life, to be honest. I lost my mojo somewhere between the epic fall and the mosquito swarms.” She rests her head on my back.

  “I still think you’re a sexy minx.”

  “Ha. You must be pretty hard up for feminine attention, then.” She pauses. “Have you been with a lot of women, Bayne?”

  “There have been some over the years. Nobody special. Nothing that would shock you in either direction, in terms of too many or too few.”

  “Does it bother you that I haven’t been with anyone else?”

  “Nope. Does it bother you?” I can feel her relax.

  “No, I’d rather be really intimate with one person that kind of intimate with lots of different people. But, if I’ve only been with you, how do I know for sure that we’re sexually compatible?”

  I can’t hold back a laugh.

  “I’d say we did alright, based on the other night. Wouldn’t you?”

  “It was a lot of fun. But I’m just getting started and there’s lots of other stuff I want to try. Are you going to be game for that?

  “Am I going to be game for lots of crazy fun sex with you? Yes. I can answer with 100 percent certainty on that one.” Then I have a moment of panic. “Wait. What other stuff do you have in mind?”

  “I think I might like it if you take charge and boss me around when we’re together. Only when we’re having sex - it would probably drive me crazy if you tried to boss me around outside of the bedroom. There are other things, too. I have a whole bucket list of things we would need to tackle.”

  “Like what?”

  “Pretty much every fun thing two adults can do with one another. I want to suck you off and have you shoot on my face. I want to jack you off between my tits. We could do some role playing. Maybe some anal play.”

  We’re in the middle of the woods and I feel myself blush. She’s so frank and open about everything. It’s refreshing, but it will take a little getting used to.

  “Tell me something you’ve always wanted to try that you haven’t done with anyone else yet.”

  “Ahhhhhhh . . .” I pretend I have to dig deep to come up with something. In reality, I’ve had the same fantasy for years.

  “You’re not fooling me,” she says. “Spill it.”

  “I think it would be hot to have sex in a public place. Just the thrill of knowing anyone can stumble upon you at any time and you could be caught.”

  “I love it,” she says. “Let’s add that to the list.”

  She kisses the back of my neck and wraps her arms tightly around me.

  “This is very chivalrous of you. I can’t wait to tell the ladies at work.”

  “I’m a real prince all right.”

  “Oh!” She points ahead. “Thank God! I see the conservation station. We’re almost back.”

  “Wonderful,” I say. I ease her down as we approach the car. “I’m thinking you should choose our next date, in the interest of fairness.”

  She giggles. “I’d be happy to. You know, there’s an old drive in movie theater about forty minutes away.”

  “I’ve heard of that place. The Starlight, right?”

  “Yeah. I was there a few years ago and it was fun. You get to enjoy nature without really having to be in it. Which I find to be a big plus right about now. You could pick me up at 6?”

  “Sounds like a date to me.”

  We’re one of the last cars to arrive at the theater and we’re stuck parking in the back corner of the lot. I smile approvingly, because I don’t plan on watching much of the movie tonight anyway. We’re about halfway through our 30-day hiatus and I’m going crazy for him. I want his hands and mouth all over me. I want to feel him get hard for me, feel his balls tighten when he finally comes.

  He kills the engine but leaves the battery on so we can hear the movie through the radio. We have just enough time to run to the concession stand for drinks before the previews start to play. We sit and pretend to be interested for a respectable amount of time. And then Bayne can’t take it anymore.

  “Take your panties off,” he says. His voice is deep and gruff and it makes me instantly hot. When I told him I wanted him to get tough with me, I didn’t mean on the next date. But I’m certainly not going to argue.

  I reach under my dress and shimmy my elastic lace thong down over my hips. I kick it onto the floor. I move to adjust my dress but he places his hand on mine.

  “Don’t cover yourself. I want to see you. To see the pretty little pussy that’s all mine.”

  “But what if somebody sees us?” Two can play at this game. He reaches down and adjusts the bulge in his pants.

  “Spread your legs.” I put my hands on my knees and ease my thighs apart. I move my hips forward so he can see me better.

  “Wider,” he commands. He slides closer and cups my sex with his warm hand. I try to grind against him but he pulls away every time I thrust. Still, when he takes his hand away it’s slick with my juices. Having him tell me what to do is even hotter than I imagined.

  “Spread your pussy lips for me.” I reach down with both hands and part myself for him.

  “I need to keep you stretched out so I’m not too big for you when it’s time for us to get back to fucking.”

  He massages my opening with the pads of his fingers, gently playing with me until I’m squirming in my seat. I lift my feet off the floor and pull them back to give him better access. He responds by easing one large knuckled finger inside of me. It feels so good; I want to bounce up and down on it, to grind on it, but he holds my hips in place with his other hand.

  “You have such a greedy little pussy. Do you see how it’s trying to suck my finger inside?”

  I whimper when he slides a second finger in next to the first. By the time a third finger stretches me I’m nearly incoherent with pleasure. Then I feel the pad of his thumb rub my swollen clit up and down and I’m lost. I turn my head to the side and bite down on the fabric of his shirt as the orgasm tears through me. My legs shiver and he strokes the inside of my thighs as I come back to earth.

  I gaze over at him. His cock is out and he’s stroking it as he watches me.

  “You’re so beautiful when you come,” he says.

  “Now it’s time to get you there.” I slide closer to him and replace his hand with my own. I pump away at his thick member, giving my hand a twist each time I reach the sensitive head. His hips thrust against my hand with each stroke. I reach my other hand down to cup his balls. I heft their weight in one hand as I work his length in the other. He groans as I pick up speed and I know just what to do to push him over the edge.

  I nudge the strap of my dress off my shoulder. It slides down and exposes my bare breast. My pale pink nipple shines in the light of the the movie screen. I lean in and deliver the coup de grace.

  “Baby, you have to hurry, the couple in the next car is looking at us and know what we’re doing.”

  He erupts in my hand; I feel the semen pump out of him before it cascades down my clenched hand. It’s so damn hot and I’ve been wanting to taste him for weeks, but he grabs a napkin and cleans up before I can stop him.

  “You have goose bumps.” He grabs a soft blanket from the backseat and drapes it over my lap.

  “Thanks,” I say. “I wasn’t expecting it to get so cold tonight.”

  “I guess it’s fortunate we’re good at coming up with other ways to stay warm.”

  It’s a lovely Sunday morning, and we’re seated at a table for three at the Hanover House. I’m famished and can’t wait to tackle the brunch line, but my father isn’t here yet; Bayne insisted on arriving ridiculously early and now I have to sit here and smell the bacon. It’s torture. Bayne perches on his chair, in his best suit, with ramrod straight posture. Only his tapping foot gives him away.

  “How can you possibly be so nervous to see my father again? You already know him. He’ll be thrilled to see you!”

  “You do not know that, Caroline.�
� Beads of sweat dot his brow. “I’ve known more than a few completely reasonable men who became complete lunatics when it came to their daughters.”

  “You do, huh? I’d like to hear more about that,” I tease. I flag down the server and order a mimosa. I guess he’s not the only one with nerves.

  He mops at his brow with a napkin. “I’m just saying, he’s a very intimidating man. And I felt that way about him before I started sleeping with his only daughter.”

  “You’re intimidating, too, you know. So I guess you’ll have that in common.”

  “We’re both crazy about you.” He takes my hand. “I’d say that’s at least two things.”

  I’m gazing at him like a love-struck teenager when my father’s booming voice cuts through the room.

  “Caroline! There you are.” He waves from the hostess podium and weaves through the crowd. I stand up and hold out my hands. Bayne rises to his feet next to me. The old man takes my hands and pulls me into an awkward side hug. He’s never been one to show emotion, so the effort surprises me.

  “Hello, son.” He turns to Bayne, with me still tucked against his side, and offers his hand. “It’s a pleasure to see you again.”

  “You as well, Sir.”

  We settle into our seats, and the waitress appears with a carafe of coffee and my mimosa.

  “I can’t tell you how happy I am to see Caroline with an army man. I’ve wondered why it took her so long to bring someone home, but now I understand she was just holding out for someone worthy of her.”

  Bayne looks astounded at the compliment. I’m a little flabbergasted myself. Dad has never been one to throw praise around easily.

  His voice lowers as he continues. “Sergeant, I always admired the way you fought to take care of your mother. Anyone who puts family first like that is a rock-solid man in my book.”

  I can read the pride on Bayne’s face. It’s bubbling inside me as well. This is going better than either of us could have expected.