better, but then again, as good as Erick looked right now in his khaki cargo pants and his long-sleeved navy T-shirt stretched tight over his broad chest, she wouldn’t say no to creepy-motel sex right about now. Or any sex. At all. Anywhere. As long as it was with him.
“Here we are,” he said. “Not bad, right?”
Clover didn’t reply. She couldn’t reply. Her jaw was on the ground and she hadn’t picked it up yet.
Erick hopped out of his truck and walked to her door, opening it for her.
“I thought you said this was a cabin,” she breathed.
“It is a cabin. A big fucking cabin and a big cabin for fucking. Nice, right?”
“Nice, yes. That’s the word we’ll use.”
It wasn’t nice. It was stunning. Perched at the edge of Lost Lake was a two-story mountain cabin with a glass chandelier inside hanging from the lofted ceiling. She knew that because Erick had left the light on so she could see it through the wall of windows. The entire east wall was nothing but glass. Although the sun had set, she could see that the cabin had been painted an elegant blue-gray and that a deck extended over the water. They walked side by side to the front door and as Erick pulled the key from his pocket Clover stepped out onto the deck. She set her bag down by the steps and walked to the railing.
She looked up and saw the outline of the clouds. The moon must be behind them, lighting them up from behind. If she squinted she could see the outline of the snowcapped peak of Mount Hood.
“It’ll be incredible in the morning,” Erick said. “That wall faces right into sunrise.”
“It’s incredible right now,” she said. “I love the sound of wind on water. There’s nothing quite like it. Always sounds like it’s trying to tell you something. That sounds stupid. I don’t know why I said that.”
“It doesn’t sound stupid,” he said, standing behind her with each hand on either side of her so that she stood in the triangle of his arms and the deck railing. “It sounds like something Mother Nature’s handmaiden would say.”
Smiling, she leaned back against his chest. The night air was cool but not cold, not at the moment. No need to rush inside quite yet. A perfect moment to simply be. The pine trees rustled as the wind shook them. Crows cawed and owls hooted. Maybe she was Mother Nature’s handmaiden, and maybe Mother Nature was saying thank you for all the hard work she’d done over the years. Maybe Mother Nature had sent her Erick, too. Any man as good with wood as he was surely had been blessed by someone. She felt blessed in this perfect moment. Blessed because she was in it. Blessed because Erick was in the moment with her. Blessed because she knew it was perfect.
“I feel better already,” she said. “Just being here makes me feel better.”
“Nothing like a couple of days on the lake to clear your head.”
“It’s not the lake, although it’s beautiful here. It’s not nature. It’s not the forest or the mountain. I feel better because I’m with you, and you did this for me.”
She turned her back to the lake, to all the loveliness of it, and faced Erick. He was an even better view.
He dipped his head and kissed her on the mouth.
“Weird,” he said against her lips.
“What is?”
“I feel better with you, too. It’s almost like we like each other or something.”
“Or something.”
“You want to see inside the house?”
“I would love to.”
He took her by the hand and led her to the door. She’d expected the room with the chandelier to be the living room. And maybe it could have been or should have been, but it wasn’t. She walked down three steps into a sunken bedroom that held a king-size bed facing the lake. A bed right on the lake. If she broke the bottom window water would rush right into the room.
“Erick...this is...” Romantic. Breathtaking. Everything she could have wished for and more.
“You said you wanted to have lake sex. Not easy to do in November in Oregon. But this is the next best thing, right? A bedroom right on the lake?”
“Next best thing? This is the best thing. I can’t believe you did this for me.”
“Why not?”
“Well, you’re only my fake boyfriend for the week. And—”
“And you’re an amazing woman who helped my daughter find some purpose in her life. And you’re incredibly beautiful, and I’m having the time of my life with you this week. And if you don’t know why a man takes a beautiful woman to a cabin on the lake, then I’m not going to tell you.”
“You’re trying to get me into bed. It’s working.”
“Then why aren’t you in bed?”
“That,” she said, pointing at his chest, “is a very good question. But I have a very good answer.”
“What’s your very good answer?” he asked as he pulled her into a tight embrace.
“You haven’t put me there yet.”
“You know what?” he asked.
“What?”
He picked her up off her feet and started to carry her to the bed.
“That is a very good answer.”
9
ERICK WOULD HAVE patted himself on the back for how well this plan was working out. They’d been at the lake cabin all of five minutes and not only was Clover ready to jump into bed, she was happy. God, that smile of hers... If it were a plant it would be a sunflower. Sunflower? Really? He was turning into Mother Nature’s handmaiden. Better than being a drone, right?
“Wait,” Clover said. “I forgot something. Put me down.”
“Did you leave something at the house?” he asked.
“No, I have it here. I just have to go, um, do something. Do you mind?”
“You’re about to have sex with me. Do you think I mind? I wouldn’t mind if you stomped on my foot, set the bed on fire and threw me into the lake as long as we got naked after.”
She smiled and kissed his cheek. “You have weird sexual fantasies. Put me down. I’ll be right back.”
He put her down, reluctantly but quickly. She grabbed her overnight bag and raced up the stairs with it. While she was gone doing whatever lady thing she needed to do—shave something or brush something or put perfume on something—he pulled back the covers on the bed and lit the two oil lamps Joey had told him were stored under the kitchen sink.
Man, he was going to owe Chris and Joey for eternity for letting them use this place for free for a couple days. A house like this would rent for four or five hundred a night, easy, during peak season. In addition to the bed in the front room, there were two bedrooms upstairs. The kitchen was exposed brick with stainless-steel appliances but the rest of the house had all the rustic charm one would want from a lake house. Distressed pine floors, carved stair railings, woven rugs and cedar paneling. The chandelier really pulled it all together. From the outside, it looked like a standard crystal light fixture one might find in a hotel lobby. Once inside, however, it revealed its secret. The crystals were actually mason jars of all sizes with LED lights threaded through them. It was a masterpiece of rustic folk art. Steffensen did good work. Just the woodwork alone turned Erick on. Put Clover in that big beautiful bed and he was a goner. An absolute goner. No doubt he loved his daughter more than life itself, but if this was the sort of stuff that happened when she left town, then the first day of college could not come fast enough.
Erick turned off all the lights but the two oil lamps he set on either side of the bed. He stripped out of his clothes and slid between the covers, propped up on thick down pillows to watch absolutely nothing happening out on the lake but the wind on the water. Clover seemed to think that sound was talking to her. Maybe it was talking to him, too, because it seemed a voice whispered in his ear, “Watch out...you’re going to fall in love with this woman if you aren’t careful...”
Stupid voice. Did it think he didn’t know that already? He’d been fighting off a crush on Clover ever since Ruthie went to work for her. Since that kiss yesterday, he’d stopped fighting
and let himself feel everything he’d been trying not to feel for Clover for the past year. Instead of ignoring her quiet loveliness, her full lips, her long hair that he’d told himself wouldn’t look as good down as he imagined it would, he gave himself full permission to enjoy every glance at her, every kiss, every strand of that sun-colored hair so soft in his fingers. He’d convinced himself she wasn’t interested in him because of the wall of professional reserve she’d put up around herself. She’d never once flirted with him during his many trips to the nursery to drop off or pick up Ruthie. Now he knew the reasons for her reserve and could only feel supremely flattered she’d let those walls down with him. And damn, it was beautiful behind those walls. He could live there.
As much as he wanted to tell her that, something held him back. He’d been Clover’s first real lover. While he was flattered by that, even a little moved, he also couldn’t shake the idea that she would probably prefer to take things slowly with him. What woman wanted to commit herself to the very first guy she slept with? He’d lost his virginity in high school and had two serious girlfriends by the time he met Ruthie’s mother, got her pregnant—a happy accident—and had Ruthie. Wouldn’t Clover want to explore her options, date around, enjoy her newfound sexual confidence a little bit before committing to a serious relationship? Probably. He would in her shoes.
The other voice in his head sounded suspiciously like Ruthie’s and that voice was telling him that he should let Clover take the lead, let her decide what sort of relationship she wanted. That was a fair point. He’d leave it to Clover, then. If she told him she wanted to keep seeing him, then he’d tell her how crazy about her he was. If he told her today, she might feel pressured to commit before she was ready and that’s the last thing he wanted her to do. Bad enough she had her entire family trying to force her to get married and have kids. He wasn’t about to add to the chorus of voices nagging her about her personal life.
Therefore, it was decided. For Clover’s sake he’d keep his runaway feelings to himself for the time being. He’d enjoy this week with Clover and give her the best nights of her life if he could. If they only had the one week together, it was better than nothing. If it was the beginning of something real, even better. Much, much better.
Now that he’d had this little talk with himself and adjusted his romantic expectations, Erick closed his eyes and felt at peace with the universe—calm, relaxed and happy.
“You’re smiling,” Clover said. He smiled wider.
“I am.”
“Do I want to know why?”
“Just happy,” he said. “Where are you?’
“On the stairs. I’m coming down. Just stay there.”
“I’m naked. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Good,” she said. “Because you’re exactly where I want you.”
“And I’m exactly where I want to be.”
“Really?”
Erick opened his eyes and found Clover standing by the side of the bed.
In the ten minutes she’d been gone in the bathroom upstairs, she had transformed herself from her usual natural beauty in jeans, turtleneck and a fleece pullover to a goddess in white lingerie. She wore a white lace-and-silk gown that clung to her every curve and stopped at the top of her thighs, with matching white lace panties underneath. She’d taken her hair out of her usual standard-issue ponytail, parted it down the center and curled it so that it lay in soft waves past her shoulders. He couldn’t think of a word to describe her. Even the word beautiful seemed inadequate in her presence. Exquisite? Elegant? A goddess? He’d go with that one.
“You look like a goddess,” he said.
“I feel ridiculous. Like it?”
He took her by the hand and pulled her down gently to the bed. He kissed her, pushed her onto her back on the sheets and slid on top of her, nothing between them but lace.
“I don’t like it at all,” he said, pushing his erection into her. “I love it. When did you buy this?” He hoped she’d say today, that she bought it just for him, but he had a feeling that wasn’t the case.
“After my surgery I went on a shopping spree.” She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and he kissed her neck. “I bought something I couldn’t wear before when my breasts were too big. This is it. It’s been in the back of my closet since then.”
“You’ve never worn this before?”
“Never.”
“You got it out for me?”
“I couldn’t think of anyone else I’d make myself this ridiculous for.”
“You...” He tapped the end of her nose. “You have a strange idea of ‘ridiculous.’ Why do you feel ridiculous?”
“I’m just not a lingerie type. I’m a six-pack of cotton underwear from Target kind of gal.”
“You’d be beautiful in a burlap bag, but you are insanely beautiful in lingerie. You might feel ridiculous but you don’t look ridiculous. And you shouldn’t feel ridiculous dressing up or down for me. It’s what lovers do.”
“You’d put on lingerie for me?”
“I’d put anything on for you that you wanted. Name it. If they make it in my size, I’ll wear it if it turns you on.”
“You’re wearing my favorite of all your looks right now.”
“It is pretty comfortable,” he said. “You could wear this, too.” He slipped his fingers under the strap of her gown and slowly pulled it down her arm.
“Oh, no,” she said. “I worked up the courage to put this thing on for you. I’m not about to let you take it off me until I get some use out of it.”
“How long do I have to leave it on you?”
“Hmm...” She pursed her lips, tapped her chin, and looked so adorable he couldn’t stand it. “One hour.”
He turned his head and checked the cuckoo clock on the wall.
“It’s eighty thirty-five. By nine thirty-five I get to take this off you?”
She nodded. “In the meantime we have to find things to do that don’t involve me being naked. Any ideas?” she asked.
“One or two or a million. Let’s start with this one.”
He moved onto his side and put his hand under her gown, resting it on her stomach. He kissed her hard and heavily, mingling their tongues together as he cupped her between her legs with his palm. For a long time he did nothing but kiss her and press his hand gently and rhythmically against her. Her body warmed to his touch and her panties grew damp as he teased her through the thin lace. If she wanted to torture him by keeping her clothes on for a full hour, he would find a way to torture her back in the sweetest ways possible.
He lowered his head and kissed her breasts through the fabric of her gown, blowing hot air on her nipples and watching them harden through the silk. He kissed the soft tops of her breasts as he made tiny circles around her swollen clitoris with his fingertip. Clover’s chest rose and fell over and over with her shallow breaths. He glanced up once to look at her and saw her head lying back on the pillow, her eyes closed. She was the very picture of a woman lost in erotic pleasure. As much as he wanted to be inside her, Erick also wanted to make her come first to prove to her that a little slip of silk and lace wasn’t about to get in his way. Through the silk he sucked on her nipple while pulling the fabric of her panties to the side.
“You’re soaking wet,” he said into her ear. “Did you know that?”
“I assumed so... I mean, you’re here, so of course I am.”
“Of course you are.” He felt inordinate male pride at her words. Of course she was wet. He was there. Of course...
“That explains why I’m rock hard,” he said. “You’re here.”
“I love it when you’re hard.”
“I love it when you’re here.”
She looked at him through eyes half-closed in ecstasy and smiled. Such a smile should have gone straight to his groin. But instead he felt that smile in his heart. He cared for this woman, already. Before this week he’d adored her for what she’d done for his daughter. Now he simply adored her. And it was
on the tip of his tongue to tell her that when Clover raised her hips imploringly and whispered a soft “Please...”
He pushed his finger inside her and her head fell back on the bed again. A whole hour before he could strip her naked and fuck her like he needed to...a whole hour... He could spend half of it doing just this, massaging her inside. Her vagina was hot to the touch, slick with her arousal. He slid his finger up the front wall, watching her face the entire time, looking for hints of pleasure or displeasure. He wanted to know what made her tick, what felt good to her, what didn’t. He wanted to know her inside and out but right now the inside of her was his top priority.
He felt a soft hollow and pushed his fingertip into it. Clover inhaled sharply and he caught the ghost of a smile on her lips. He did it again and she inhaled again. He pushed a second finger into her and she opened her legs wider to give him more room to move in her. It was such a simple thing, spreading for him, and yet it
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