by Kali Hart
“Are those Thelma’s wings?” Levi asks as he enters the main room in the front of the house, a cheesy grin on his face. When we’re finished with this project, this room will be an open-concept living room most would envy. But right now, it’s mostly an empty shell.
“You know I wouldn’t pick up any other.”
“Thelma’s wings, huh?” Duke raises an eyebrow at me as he plops down into a folding chair. He lets out a yawn that suggests Easton wasn’t the only one up late last night. I have to admit, I’m jealous I’m not yet part of that club. “You’re buttering us up for something.”
We wait for our last brother, Easton, to make his appearance. He’s wearing the biggest grin of all and it has nothing to do with the wings.
Now that everyone is present, I launch into Amber’s proposal. My speech isn’t as eloquent as hers, and I have to abbreviate a lot of her points just to get them out before one—or all—of my brothers interrupts.
“No,” Levi says before I can finish.
“The higher sales price would more than offset any commission—"
“No,” Duke agrees.
“Houses sold before they even hit the market—”
“You’re with Amber, aren’t you?” Easton studies me for an uncomfortably long minute that invites the other two to join in. “You’re sleeping with her.”
“No,” I say, glad for the first time since I walked away from Amber that night that I kept it in my pants. They’d use it against me for sure if it were true. “We grabbed a bite to eat while you and your fiancé were otherwise occupied. I dropped her off at Emma’s after we ate.” And played some darts. Made out a little bit. But they don’t need to know all that.
“Can we eat now?” Levi asks. His way of declaring the conversation over.
“Guys, will you at least think about it? Look over the stats?” I don’t resort to begging often, but I might just be there now.
“What’s our number one rule?” Duke says.
I look to Easton. “Rules aren’t meant to be bent from time to time if they make sense?” He should be on my side considering the rule he bent to help out Emma. I was the one who gave him the hardest time about it too, but I came around. Still, he leaves me hanging.
“You have all the real estate expertise we need,” Levi says in between messy bites, barbeque sauce smeared above his lip. “We don’t need to pay some middle man.”
I didn’t expect my brothers to go for the partnership idea, but I thought they might at least toss it around a little more. Give it the consideration it deserved. But maybe that was more me wanting to make Amber happy than anything else.
I hate the news I’ll have to deliver. I just hope she’ll still want to see me once I tell her.
5
AMBER
“That weasel did it again,” I say to my sister through the Bluetooth in my car as I drive home. “It’s not fair, Emma. Dennis Black plays dirty. He lies to people to get their business and somehow they don’t even realize what he’s done.”
“There’s next month, Amber. You’ll beat him, without stooping to his level.”
I’m not so sure. That partnership with the Ryan brothers is my only hope of taking down the rat at work. It’s been two days since that electrifying kiss in the driveway and still I haven’t heard a word from Flint. I didn’t expect them to make a decision right away, but I had hoped we’d continue other parts of our conversation in the meantime.
For the first time in years, I’m so damn distracted every minute of the day I can hardly concentrate. I’ve made silly blunders on online listings, mixed up listing comp reports for two different clients in two very different price ranges, and even called the wrong client to present an offer. It’s been a right mess.
I can’t get Flint Ryan out of my system.
“You’ve got it bad, don’t you?” Emma asks, forging some sort of telepathic connection with me.
“What happened with you and Easton … how fast … Emma, that is the exception to the rule. That doesn’t happen to people like me.”
“What do you mean?” Emma’s tone turns from compassionate to scolding. It’s not the first time in the last week that she has sounded more like the older sister than me. “Why can’t it happen to you too?”
“It doesn’t matter,” I say dismissively. “He hasn’t called. I bet he’s forgotten all about me by now. I promised not to bother him again after I gave him my spiel, and it looks like he was happy enough with that arrangement.”
“I saw that steamy kiss in my driveway,” Emma says. “Trust me, that man has not forgotten about you.”
While arguing with my sister, I miss my exit home. The last time this happened, it added twenty minutes to my drive. “Em, I have to go.”
“Here’s a last thought to chew on. Call him.”
The line goes silent before I can tell my sister how dumb that idea is. The last thing I need to seem is desperate. Been there, done that. Never revisiting.
My phone rings again, and I let out an aggravated sigh. “Em…” I mutter. “This is not the time.” I’m about to send her to voicemail when I see the name on my center screen. Flint Ryan.
With a shaky finger, I accept the call. “Hello?” Dammit, that betraying wobble is back in my voice. Will it always be there when it comes to this man?
“Amber, hi.” Flint’s deep voice rattles something in my core. A flutter of butterflies erupts in my stomach. My nipples harden to peeks. My lips yearn for his kiss. All from two simple words over the phone.
“Hi Flint.”
“You interested in that raincheck for dessert at Thelma’s?” he asks.
My heart soars at the immediate thought of getting to see Flint again. If he’s inviting me to his special place, he must have good news. Surely he wouldn’t bring me there to disappointment me. “Sure. When were you thinking?”
“How about tonight?”
I have to contain the squeal that tries to escape. The two days apart have felt like months. I don’t know that I would’ve lasted one more. “That’ll work. Should I meet you there?”
“Text me your address. I’ll pick you up.”
Another good sign. We figure out the details moments before I pull into my own driveway. I’ve got exactly ninety-two minutes to get ready. I don’t have a clue what I’m going to wear, except a pair of black lace panties I’ve been saving for a special occasion.
Tonight, I’m not telling Flint to take me home unless he’s staying with me.
FLINT
I step out of the truck when Amber approaches. She looks stunning in that light pink sundress. I promised myself I would behave, but dammit I’m only human. I’ve already pictured myself slipping off that dress half a dozen times before she meets me on the sidewalk.
“Hey,” she says in that sweet, silky voice that has haunted my dreams for too many nights.
“Amber, you look amazing.”
Breaking my own rule to wait until we’ve had a chance to discuss business, I gather her into my arms and kiss her the way I’ve wanted to since the moment we parted ways the other night. It’s not a fluke. A single kiss creates an explosion of sparks around us. I know it’s not just me who feels the entire world shift beneath our feet.
My hands find way too much enjoyment palming the soft fabric of her dress. I’m tempted to skip the chocolate lava cake and lead her inside right now. The way she moans softly against my mouth suggests she’s thinking something similar.
A passing car reminds us we’re out in public. “Guess we better go get that cake.”
It takes every ounce of willpower I have to get in the truck and drive us to Thelma’s. I thought some time apart would help me tamp down this craving I have for Amber, but it seems it’s only made it stronger.
It’s hard to hold conversation with the electrifying buzz lingering the in cab of the truck. I’m thankful when we get our same table at Thelma’s with a promise of cake on the way. I have to spit this out before I lose my nerve—or worse, befor
e I forget completely because I’m too distracted by her presence.
“Amber, I want to get business out of the way. I talked to my brothers—”
“Stop.”
“Why?”
Thelma slides an extra large slice of cake onto the table and a generous helping of ice cream to go with it. Amber waits until we’re alone again to speak. “I really like you Flint. Whatever you and your brothers decided … I don’t want that to interfere with our night.”
She knows.
“I like you, Flint. A lot.”
“I like you, too.” Like is an understatement. I’ve felt the undercurrent pulling me under—I’m falling in love with Amber Benson. I’ve spent the past two days searching for her online to learn about her real estate career successes. She’s been awarded most innovative team member on three separate occasions.
Mostly, I had to see her smiling face.
“It’s probably a terrible idea to date a potential client,” she admits. “But I want to. I want to call this a date and not some business meeting. Think we can do that?”
Her courage to put that all out on the line like that is fucking hot. I can tell by her trembling fingers that she’s nervous, but she’s going for it anyway. “Yeah, I think we can.”
“You can tell me tomorrow what you and your brothers decided. Tonight, we’re just two people having fun together. Deal?”
“Deal.”
She dips a spoon into the cake and savors her bite. Watching her eyes fall closed across the table makes me crazy. Her soft delightful moans drive me insane. It’s all I can to do finish this cake with her.
“You have a crumb.” I reach across the table and brush away a chocolate cake crumb from the corner of her lips. She turns her head just enough to kiss my thumb. I freeze, entranced by that beautiful mouth. She teases the tip of my thumb with her teeth, then with the tip of her tongue. Fuck me.
“Want to get out of here?” I ask, my breath already ragged.
“I thought you’d never ask.”
We make it as far as the truck before our bodies fuse together like perfectly formed magnets. I’ve backed her up against the bed, unable to stop kissing and touching her long enough to get the backdoor open.
Finally, the handle clicks.
Amber bites down on her bottom lip, locking lustful gazes with me before she crawls into the backseat first.
I’m not about to let our first time together be in the back of a truck like this. But I’m too hot for her to wait until we get home to pleasure this woman who’s been on my mind nonstop since the moment I met her.
“Lay down,” I tell her, closing the door behind me. I hover over her, kissing her again. Fuck, I could kiss this woman forever and never tire of it. Our lips come together over and over in such perfection, as if they were made for each other.
I slide my hand up her thigh, going torturously slow. “Do you want me to stop?” I ask her.
“No!”
“Good. I was hoping you’d say that.” I slide my hand up her dress until my fingers brush those soaking wet panties. “Baby, you’re so wet.”
“That’s your fault.”
I let out a deep chuckle as I softly stroke her cunt through the silky fabric. “I’ll take all the blame for that.” I peel her panties away and toss them into the front seat. I hope we don’t find them back tonight.
“This might be easier if you sit up,” I say.
“What are—”
“I’m going to eat that sweet pussy of yours. Unless you have any objections?”
“Nope, none.”
She stretches one leg along the seat and drops the other to the floor, giving me the perfect access to her center. I crouch onto the floor and dive beneath her dress. Pushing her thighs open, I go right for her core.
Amber gasps loudly, but I don’t care. I parked in the corner of the lot on purpose. The music inside the bar will drown out most of her moans. I stroke my tongue along her folds, suckling her swollen nub.
“That feels so good, Flint. Please—don’t stop!”
Sliding one hand beneath her ass, I pull her pussy harder against my mouth. Savoring every bit of her. I would rather suffocate giving her pleasure than stop to come up for air.
She lifts her dress off my head, pulling it up so she can watch me. My dick hardens the rest of the way, aching to be inside the pussy I’m eating. It’s straining toward her core, like a compass pointing Due North. It knows its home.
“Oh Flint!” Amber cries out, rocking her hips against my mouth.
Without letting up, I lift my gaze so I can watch her face when she comes.
“Flint!” she screams, an orgasm rocking through her body. I hold her pussy firm against my mouth until the convulsing stops, waiting for her to come down from her high.
“How was that, baby?”
“Fuck, Flint. I’m seeing stars.”
I flash a smirk at her. “You’ll be seeing a lot more of them tonight.”
6
AMBER
I’m still feeling a buzz from the indescribable orgasm Flint gave me in the back of his truck as we drive down the road to his house. Never has a man pleasured my pussy in quite such a perfect way. I never wanted him to stop. A girl could get used to pleasure like that.
“Home sweet home,” he says to me when we pull into the driveway. He parks in front of a garage door that is no doubt too short to accommodate his massive truck.
He squeezes my hand before he hops out.
Home sweet home.
My realtor eye has already scanned the house, lit by small accent lights lined all along the front. The cedar siding is beautiful but a lot of work to maintain. Just another impressive notch on Flint’s resume. “Did you flip this one with your brothers?” I ask, meeting him at the front of the truck.
“Yeah. I’ve done some more work to it since then. Not done dabbling either.”
I’m excited to see it in the daylight, certain there’s much the darkness is hiding. A thrilling smile spreads across my lips, imagining waking up in Flint’s arms with the sunlight pouring in. I don’t have anywhere to be until ten-thirty tomorrow morning.
“Do you want something to drink?” Flint asks me once we’re inside.
“I’m only thirsty for one thing.” I step up him, excited and intimated by his height and broad shoulders. He’s a massive pillar of muscle, and it makes me feel tiny and petite in the best way. I hook my hand around his neck and pull him down for a kiss.
It takes less than a minute for that gentle kiss to turn into soft moans, mingled tongues, and roaming hands.
His hot hands slide down my sides, gathering the bottom of my dress. “I’ve been waiting to get you out of this dress ever since I first saw you in it. Seconds later, my favorite sundress is pooled on the floor, halfway across the room. I stand before Flint in nothing but my bra. My panties are somewhere in Flint’s truck.
Seconds later, after Flint’s fingers make quick work of the clasp, my bra is missing too.
“You’re so beautiful, Amber.”
I let my eyes fall closed again as his hands gently roam my naked body. I love the feel of his rough, hot fingers on every inch of me. If my knees weren’t so wobbly, I would stand here all night just to feel him touching me like this.
He spends extra time with my breasts, kissing me deeply while he massages them.
I’m just about to reach for the hem of his shirt when he slides one hand between my legs. “So wet, Amber.” He strokes my pussy with the perfect amount of pressure. I forget what I was doing in the first place and give myself over to this insatiable pleasure.
Even if I had ten lifetimes, I don’t think I’d ever get enough of Flint Ryan.
He continues to stroke my cunt, there in the middle of the room. I hold onto his muscular arms as I feel my climax building. When I dig my fingers into his skin, he slips a finger inside my channel. I let out a long moan.
“So tight.”
“It’s—it’s been a long time.�
�� I don’t need to lose at darts to let that admission slip out.
I tighten my grip as Flint pumps two fingers inside me, using his palm to rub against my swollen clit. I didn’t think it was possible to have two orgasms in a row like this, so close together. This one is stronger than the first, and it rocks through my entire body.
When it’s over, my limp legs give out.
Flint catches me and sweeps me into his arms. “Time to get you to bed, baby. I have some more stars to show you.”
FLINT
I carry Amber upstairs to the master suite I’ve shared with no one since I moved in. The king-sized bed has always felt a bit excessive. Until now.
“Wow, this is nice,” she says, still cradled in my arms.
“Wait until the sunrise comes in through the windows.” I set her on the bed and make quick work of losing my clothes. When my dick springs free from my boxers, I don’t miss the widening of Amber’s eyes.
“You’re … huge, Flint. There’s no way—”
“It’ll fit, baby.”
“Are you sure?”
I crawl onto the bed, hovering over her. “No time to be shy now. I’m about to show you the best kind of stars there are.” I spend several minutes kissing her—fuck me, I’ll never get enough of her lips—and roaming her body with my hands. Her skin is so damn soft.
“Flint?”
“What, baby?” I pull back from kissing her neck and lock gazes.
“We don’t have to use a condom if you don’t want to. I’m on the pill.”
It’s odd that a tinge of disappointment flitters through me at that admission. Though creating a baby with Amber will be fun down the road, I have no intentions of making one tonight. Yet, I’m still put off.
“I’m clean,” she adds, mistaking my silence for something else entirely. “It’s—it’s been a long time.”
“Don’t worry about a thing, Amber. I’m going to take the best care of you.” I kiss her again, letting my lips linger on hers before I pull back. “I have a confession,” I say.