The derision in his tone was unmistakable.
We spent the rest of the evening catching up over New York strip and red snapper. We had a few laughs about how silly Joe was with the newborn twins, and we discussed how their new assistant, Nick, had really stepped up to the plate at Good Wood. Mac, who’d been so apprehensive about Nick on our first date, had nothing but good things to say about the kid. His new attitude regarding the matter jived with how my dad talked about Nick as well.
I told him all about the “Francis story” and explained how it had been my pre-show appetizer for Chicken Shit Bingo. Understanding was reflected on his handsome face, and I was glad that I’d elaborated. He placed a hand on the nape of my neck, and I couldn’t take my eyes off of his. He moved his hand to my jaw and cupped it gently.
“I wish you’d said something,” he murmured gently, but the look he gave me was anything but delicate. His expression was a complex mix of passion and concern, and it sent a surprising shiver through me.
“Me too,” I replied as the air grew thick around us.
Just then, a familiar face appeared at our table.
“Well, well, well,” Paula, my school’s secretary cooed. Her date, a nice looking blonde fellow, smiled at us uncomfortably. “Fancy meeting you here.”
Her eyes traveled to Mac, and they widened when he turned in her direction. “Mr. Hildebrandt! Hello.”
“Hi, Paula,” he murmured dismissively, his arm settling on the seat behind me. Paula assessed me with narrowed eyes, and though she tried to engage us in conversation, it was futile. Neither Mac nor I were interested in being interrupted. Thankfully, Paula’s date picked up on the signs, and it wasn’t long before he led her away.
“Ugh.” I dropped my napkin onto my plate. “I cannot stand that busybody.”
“She’s something, alright.” Mac agreed, and we went back to focusing on each other.
Somehow, Mac talked me into sharing a Zucchini Tres Leches, which was beyond divine. I enjoyed the taste so much that I dribbled some of the cinnamon meringue on my chin. Mac leaned in and swiped at my lip with his finger. He immediately placed said finger in his mouth, and my heart went wild at the suggestive gesture. He noticed, and he leaned in and captured my lips with his. I kissed him back fervently, oblivious to our surroundings or my lipstick, or anything else that might stop me from enjoying the blissful taste of him. His hand traced along the side of my breast, and for one brief second, I felt his thumb graze over my nipple.
When he finally broke away, I felt blotchy and out of breath.
“You wanna get out of here?” He licked his lip as if to prolong tasting me.
“Yes,” I replied without missing a beat. “Let’s go to my place.”
Once in the truck, he kept his eyes on the road, but his hand traveled up my inner thigh.
“Mac?” My voice made me sound like I belonged in the phone sex industry.
His eyes flicked to mine and then back to the road. “Yeah, Sugar?”
“I may have forgotten to wear panties,” I confessed. The expression that statement earned me made me never want to wear panties again.
We were tugging at each other’s clothing before I could get the door unlocked. I was afraid that if I couldn’t get my key to cooperate, we’d end up having sex in the hall.
Once inside, we didn’t get further than the couch. We were so frenzied and focused on one another that we knocked over the small table just inside my door. I managed to get his shirt entirely off, and his incredible build didn’t disappoint me.
By the faint light from the kitchen, I noticed he had a third tattoo on his chest, just over his heart. It looked like the planet Earth, and as I drew near and placed my lips on his skin, I realized the globe was formed by two letters. M on the left encompassed half the world and J on the right encompassed the other half. Speechless, my eyes traveled up to his face as I traced the ink with my fingers.
“He’s my world.” Mac explained and moved back in to claim my lips. I remembered Jerry’s comment about men who were good with kids and realized that she was a genius and I that I should never have doubted her brilliance.
When I finally got him onto the couch and got into his pants, my eyebrows lifted at the sight of him. He was far bigger than average, and I started to worry about my plan to warm him up with my mouth. First of all, he didn’t look like he needed any warming up. I’d never had to contend with anything near what he had to offer, and it was intimidating. Fighting my cowardly doubt, I exhaled nervously. The reverent way his eyes fell closed in response to my breath on him was encouraging.
The second my mouth came in contact with him, his guttural moan inspired me to overcome my fears. I took my time, experimenting with my tongue and hand, watching for his responses, and taking every cue in order to give him what he liked. Based on the way he gripped my hair in both hands, my performance was satisfactory. Then all at once, he pulled at my hair until I released him from my mouth.
“Get up here.” He demanded, and the virile look in his eyes had me anxious to comply.
I went to climb onto his lap, and he stopped me, rifling through his pockets to produce a familiar square condom package. He quickly removed it, and I helped him roll it on. He hoisted me onto him without further ado, and as he impaled me with his tremendous girth, my gasp was equal parts pleasure and pain. Mac froze, a frown marring his gorgeous features.
“Don’t you dare stop,” I insisted, and I nipped his bottom lip as I rocked forward, pushing myself further down onto him. I couldn’t wait to relieve the ache, the searing tension that had been building between us since the first time I’d met him, even if the reprieve was only temporary. His eyes smoldered as his fingertips greedily dug into my thighs. Between our months of verbal foreplay and his magnificent size and shape (which seemed tailor made for getting me off), he managed to make me come quickly.
I hadn’t been expecting it; it was rare for me to have an orgasm until I’d been with someone several times. Since I was rarely with anyone more than a couple of times, my orgasms had been few and far between. My embarrassingly loud response to this turn of events echoed in the quiet apartment. I’m pretty sure the neighbors heard us, because their TV volume decreased suddenly.
“Shhhh…” Mac chuckled, maneuvering me effortlessly so that I was lying on my back on the couch. “Keep making noises like that, and I won’t be able to hold back much longer.”
“Good.” I hardly recognized my raspy reply, as I guided him back inside me where he belonged. “It’s my turn to watch you come.”
A few minutes later, he had me on the edge again.
“I’m so close.” I gasped, unable to believe it was possible. Mac closed his amazing eyes and threw his head back with a moan. The sound of it pushed me over the brink, and we caused such a racket that the neighbors’ TV went totally silent.
When I could finally see straight again, I noticed that we were both half-dressed, and I still had my boots on.
“I feel very Texan right about now,” I giggled. He smiled, and his hand traveled from my thigh down the length on my leg to my boot.
“I’ve been told I can leave my hat on before, but this is ridiculous,” he agreed.
We relocated to the bedroom and made short work of getting completely naked. Between his incredible kisses and his feathery touch, he soon had me pawing at him unabashedly. I craved more of him.
“I may have created a monster.” He murmured, but he didn’t seem unhappy about the development.
Moments later, Mac was ready for round two. We went slowly that time around, leisurely experimenting. I felt surprisingly comfortable with him, considering how anxious I usually felt being naked in front of anyone. Perhaps it was because we’d known each other for so long or maybe it was because he made me feel very confident with his eager responses.
Early the next morning, I woke nestled against the warm flesh of Mac’s chest. His arms were around me, and when I moved, the soreness between my legs elicited a s
atisfied smile. Feeling like a giddy schoolgirl, I had to text Jerry, since I’d promised her a full report. When I picked up my cell phone, I noticed many missed messages from her. Instantly on high alert, I swiped at the screen. Jerry’s very first message ruined my entire day.
Jerry: don’t kill the messenger, but look what Paula put on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook!!!
The accompanying picture was of Mac and me kissing in our booth at Fixe. His hand was in a very compromising position alongside my breast, but the angle of the photograph made it look like he was totally groping me.
At least she missed the part where his thumb was on my nipple.
The caption below turned my blood to liquid fire. “What’s the world coming to? Teachers really should know better than to fraternize with parents. #StayClassyPorterElementary”
“SHIT!”
It wasn’t often the sound of swearing woke me from a dead sleep, but the hissed vulgarity from Kelly did just that. I blinked my eyes in an attempt to focus on the bedside table and saw that it was 10:30 A.M. Considering we’d been up half the night getting to know each other better, I wasn’t all that surprised.
I rolled over to see the marvelous view of her naked ass as she picked up her bra off of the floor. I watched in wonder as she hurriedly hooked it behind her back, the white lace hugging her darkly tanned flesh. She had the most amazing skin. She either laid out nude on a daily basis, or she won the genetic lottery. Either way, it was one hell of a feature, and I’d very much enjoyed exploring every inch of it the night before.
Her body was so toned that she could have easily passed for a professional athlete. I hardened again at the sight of her sculpted legs, and I rose up on one elbow for a better look. I purposely cleared my throat, as much to distract myself from my growing erection as to alert her that I was awake, which was the gentlemanly thing to do. Taking in the sight of her pants-less ass, I felt a lot more like a wolf than a gentleman.
Kelly whipped around, and when she saw me watching her, the apples of her cheeks caught fire.
“Mornin’,” I murmured, and the shyness in her luscious brown eyes brought a crooked smile to my lips.
“Hi…” Her regretful manner didn’t thrill me, but I brushed it aside, assuming she wasn’t herself without a couple of cups of coffee.
“I’m awfully lonely. Why don’t you get back over here and keep me company?” I asked, testing the waters.
“I can’t.” She scrambled to pull up her opaque panties. “I have someplace I need to be.”
“Do ya now?” I looked her up and down, noting her shallow breathing and the red blotches forming on her neck and chest. She was keeping something from me. Not only that, but she was doing it badly. She was a worse liar than Joe, and he had a hard time tricking an infant in a game of peekaboo.
“Mmm hmmm.” She refused to meet my eyes as she hurriedly dressed in a sweatshirt and yoga pants.
“You know this is your apartment, right? I should be the one trying to make a break for it.” It was meant to be a joke, but her steely expression never changed.
“Look, I don’t mean to be a rude hostess, but I need you to go.” She folded her arms in front of her, as if waiting for me to comply. This from the lips that had been wrapped around my hard on just hours before. I snorted.
“That’s not rude at all,” I chuckled sardonically, but she didn’t even crack a smile.
She sighed heavily, and her face darkened. “I’ve gotta go. Just lock up when you leave.”
My mouth fell open before I could contain it. I had no idea what had changed while I’d slept, but I was not dealing with the same woman I’d gone to bed with.
“You’re serious?” I hated the sound of my own voice, all surprised and lacking any sense of cool.
“Very.” She turned away, but not before I saw her expression, stony and unfamiliar.
I cocked an eyebrow and tossed the sheets aside. Her brown eyes returned in response to the sudden movement, and dropped reflexively to my junk. They widened, and I wanted to sweep her into my arms and back under the covers. But I resisted my urges. When her eyes met mine again, she looked flustered and immediately turned away, leaning against the wall to put on socks and sneakers.
I dressed quickly, trying to appear calm and fighting to shrug off the scathing rejection. Once I had my pants on and had shrugged into my shirt, I reached for her. Her eyebrows arched, but she allowed me to pull her into an embrace.
“I had a great time,” I whispered into her wildly mussed hair.
“It was…,” she started, and her palm came up to my face, as the fingers of her other hand lightly trailed across my chest where she now knew my tattoo resided. I thought she might open up, but instead, she removed herself from my grasp.
“Amazing?” I offered, watching as she struggled for words. Her hands were on her hips, and she looked like she was struggling for control.
“It was,” she managed, and for a second I thought she might cry. It wasn’t the response I was gunning for. “But I shouldn’t have let things go so far. I like you, Mac. But—”
“I like you, too.” I interrupted, not wanting to hear what ‘but’ she’d cooked up in her pretty little head. I wondered if I’d misread some signals the night before. Everything about being with Kelly had felt so right that I’d stayed the night, which I hadn’t done with anyone since my ex-wife, not even Stacy. Kelly had seemed to feel the same way, and the scratches that stung down my back were evidence that it wasn’t all in my head. “So what’s the problem?”
She shook her head and forced a smile. “Can you lock the door when you leave?’
My instinct was to laugh, not because what she said was ridiculous, though it was. It was her over-the-top politeness that tickled my funny bone. Like she was giving a press conference, not talking to a guy she’d gone down on so enthusiastically the night before. I choked back the laugh, though. A voice in the back of my head told me laughing at her would be a nail in my coffin.
“Sure,” I exhaled. She walked out of the room, and I followed after her.
She picked up her purse and stopped, her back to me. I heard her sniffle, and she raised her hands to her face. I was reaching out for her when she mumbled. “Such an error in judgement.”
My hands fell to my side, as the words stunned me to silence. I watched her walk out the front door without looking over her shoulder. She had already closed the door behind her when I finally found my voice.
“Whatever you say, Sugar.”
I made sure to lock the door handle when I left a few minutes later like she’d asked. When I climbed into my truck, I realized she’d left her flowers on the seat between us. They were already brown and dead from baking in the cab all night. It was hardly a surprise that she’d forgotten them, considering the way we’d been behaving on the way back from the restaurant. Thinking back on the moment I discovered she really was sans panties, a dastardly smile overcame me.
My light mood didn’t last long. In fact, halfway home, I was fuming. Grabbing hold of the flowers, I chunked them out of the window. I knew she’d had a good time with me, and not just in the bedroom. I thought we’d worked out our issues long before we left the restaurant. We’d been joking around by the time they brought out dessert. Her laugh was like butter, rich and addictive, and I was willing to do just about anything to hear it again.
I shook my head and blasted the stereo, trying to push her blow-off out of my head.
Women! They sure have a way of fucking up a perfectly good thing.
I wasn’t sure what kind of lies Kelly was telling herself or why she was telling them, but I had my own problems to deal with without taking on hers. I went home and did the laundry that I’d been too busy to do all week long. Then I set out for the grocery store. I had Mac Junior every other week, and he was due at my place in less than twenty-four hours. The kid was only seven, and he already ate like a teenager. I had to stock the cupboard for my growing boy.
I was wandering down th
e aisle looking for some of his favorite snacks when I spotted Stacy, reaching for a box on the top shelf. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t check her out. Stacy was an impressive girl, all blonde and stacked. She told me once that my sister had hired her away from Twin Peaks, Texas’s answer to Hooters. It didn’t surprise me a bit. Several X-rated memories of our brief, but steamy, time together flickered in my mind’s eye.
“Hey, Stace,” I said, and she started in surprise. “Let me get that for you.”
“Mac! Hey!” She smiled, and accepted the box of cookies I’d retrieved for her. “How you been? Up to no good?”
“Always,” I quipped, and she giggled. “Tell me something. Back when we were…”
“Were…” She purred, a small smile curling her full lips. “Intimate?”
“Yeah.” I shrugged. “Was it good for you? Or were you just humoring me?”
“Oh, Mac. You were very good,” she replied, her eyes perusing me briefly but pointedly. “If excellent sex was all it took to make me happy, I’d have dug my claws into you and never let go.”
“Huh.” I nodded, satisfied that she was being truthful. “Well, okay then.”
“Baby, I found the Nutella.” Her new husband, Sanchez, came around the corner with a basket containing Nutella, bananas, and spray whip cream. He stopped short when he saw who was talking to his wife.
“Nutella and whip cream? Looks like someone’s having a party.” I joked. Sanchez furrowed his brow, but I gave him a grin. He was an intimidating guy, standing at least four inches taller than me, and built like The Incredible Hulk. But he had nothing to fear from me, and my sister was his boss, so I wasn’t too worried.
“See y’all,” I blurted and turned to leave. I was unpacking groceries in my kitchen before the full impact of what Stacy’s said hit me. I wondered what I didn’t have to make her happy, and I wondered if Kelly had spotted that same flaw in me.
Soon enough, Junior was in the house, and I didn’t have time to take a piss, let alone worry about women or their happiness. Finally, Friday night rolled around, and Mac Junior and I were popping some corn when the phone rang. I picked it up and looked at the screen.
Wood U (Carved Hearts #4) Page 13