“Great. I’m looking forward to it, too. I feel like I’ve been cooped up here forever.” She grabbed the top sheet from where she’d left it on the recliner, unfolded it, and tossed it across the bed. He tore his eyes from her delectable body and picked up one of the two pillows she was giving him, stuffing it into one of the newly laundered pillow cases. “I figure we’ll leave here at nine in the morning and, barring any heavy traffic, we’ll be there by ten-thirty.”
Dana finished tucking in the sheet and stepped past him to get the comforter from the back of the recliner. Her foot hit one of the boys’ discarded sneakers and she lost her balance. Dropping the pillow he’d been stuffing, Curt’s hands shot out to keep her from falling, and the next thing either of them knew, their bodies collided with each other. Chest to chest. Pelvis to pelvis. She gasped. Her soft body was flush against his hard one, including his erect cock, but he couldn’t let her go. Her eyes grew wide as his shaft lengthened against her abdomen. The pulse in her neck picked up speed, and when her breath hitched he lost all reason and self-control. Lowering his head to hers, he waited for the moment she would push him away and say no…but it didn’t happen.
His lips met hers—closed mouth and soft. Just a brush of flesh against flesh. Electricity shot through him as the room around them sizzled. When her arms went around his neck and her eyes fluttered shut, he deepened the kiss. A little nibble. A little taste. He coaxed her lips to open with his probing tongue. When she obliged him, his hand went into her hair and held her head where he wanted it. As much as he wanted to devour her, he held himself back.
She tasted like heaven. A small shiver passed through her and he pulled her toward him, trying to do the impossible and imprint her body on his so he would never forget the first time he kissed her. They should stop…they really had to stop before one of the kids decided they needed to get out of bed and come out here for some inane reason. Just one more taste…one more lick…
Suddenly her body stiffened. Shit. She began to squirm and push against his chest. With reluctance but no regrets, he pulled away from her, yet still holding her in his arms. Her eyes were wide again, but this time in horror. Damn it and fuck. Her hand went to her mouth where her lips were moist, red, and swollen from their kiss. Her skin was slightly irritated from his five o’clock shadow.
Pushing him harder, she forced him to break contact. “I-I’m sorry…I just…I’m so sorry. I-I can’t.”
“Dana…” He reached for her, but she flinched, clearly not wanting him to touch her. Her eyes filled with tears and he watched helplessly as she fled to her bedroom, slamming the door shut. Curt’s head dropped forward on his shoulders. He’d fucked up…big time.
* * *
Dana moaned and rolled over when her alarm went off. Eight a.m. Shit. She was exhausted, feeling like she’d only had a few hours of sleep. Well, then again, she had. She’d been up half the night after that…that…disaster, or whatever you wanted to call it in the living room last night. Kissing Curt…holy shit, what the hell had she been thinking? And what had he been thinking?
Then like a bawling teenager experiencing her first break up with a boy, Dana had run and hid in her bedroom. How was she going to face him today? It wasn’t like she could avoid him since they’d be in the car together for three full hours. At least at the amusement park, he’d be taking the boys on the bigger rides, while she took Amanda and her friend, Nellie, on the slower and calmer ones.
Flipping the covers off, she trudged to her attached bath and turned the shower on before using the toilet. She stripped off the T-shirt, cotton shorts, and underwear she’d worn to bed, then stuck her hand under the spray to see if the hot water had kicked in yet. Finding it warm enough, she stepped into the tub and let the water drench her. After shampooing her hair, she grabbed the loofah from its hook beneath the showerhead. Squirting a quarter-sized dollop of her favorite bath gel, she washed from head to toe. But every time she touched her breasts and crotch, that old familiar ache grew stronger. She hadn’t had sex since the morning before Eric had been killed, and up until recently it hadn’t bothered her. However, her libido was finally making itself known again—like an awakening volcano, she might add—and she’d spent quite a few nights, alone in the big bed, with just her vibrators and memories. Lately, though, those long established memories had become dreams of the unknown…dreams of the man who was currently sleeping on her couch. At first, she’d been horrified, thinking of a man who wasn’t her husband. But in one of her ‘talks’ with Eric, which she had whenever she needed his guidance, he’d given her his blessing to get on with her life. The only problem was, he hadn’t ‘told’ her who to get it on with.
Was it wrong she was lusting after her husband’s best friend…her dead husband’s best friend? Some would say she’d mourned her loss long enough and it was time to get back to living once again. Others might say it was too soon, and she was only trying to replace her husband with someone familiar. So which group was correct? She didn’t want to be lonely the rest of her life, but she also didn’t want to risk losing someone who’d become more special to her than he’d ever been before.
She closed her eyes and dropped the loofah to the floor of the tub. Her mind drifted, conjuring up a chapter she’d read last night from Kristen Anders’ new book, Velvet Vixen, when she’d been trying to get her mind off of Curt. While the BDSM lifestyle wasn’t something Dana was interested in personally, Devon Sawyer’s wife wrote a great combination of romance, sex, and suspense. Her books were fun and exciting reads, and the sex scenes were off-the-chart hot and steamy. But, of course, that didn’t help Dana forget the man lying on her couch, a mere fifty feet or so from her bedroom door.
As she brushed one hand across her nipples, her other one drifted south to the juncture between her legs. If she was going to get through this day, being so close to Curt, then she needed to take the edge off her desire and confusion. She exposed her clit and gasped when one of her fingers slid across the top of it. Oh, fuck this.
Reaching up, she grabbed the wand of the shower head and unhooked it from the tiled wall. The dial could be turned to one of five different settings, and she knew exactly which one she needed right now—the fast, hard pulse option. The flow of water and hum changed and she pointed the makeshift sex toy at her throbbing pussy. Bending one knee, she propped her foot on the tiny corner shelf of the tub and threw her head back as the spray hit her in a way that made her hips thrust forward in need…and want.
While the water pelted her sex, she began to play with her nipples again. Rolling and tugging one and then the other. The pair of sensual assaults, combined with replaying in her mind the sex scene she’d read, resulted in her quickly climbing to the edge of release. Biting her lip, she aimed the pulse spray to the left just a tad and moaned when a jet hit a spot which took her one step closer. She tried to imagine what the fictional Master Zach looked like, but the only image her mind focused on was Curt’s face…his hard body…his masculine hands on her feminine body…his low rumbling voice. Cum for me.
The orgasm that hit her took her breath away. Her legs almost gave out as wave after wave of pleasure came over her. She threw her hand out to the bar on the sliding glass door for support and it rattled…loudly. Letting go, she slapped the tile in front of her and tucked her face into her bicep to keep from screaming. Dizzy and sated, she slowly drifted back to reality, but worry settled over her. What if her attraction to Curt was nothing more than a fantasy? He’d obviously felt something for her last night. She’d felt the bulge in his pants the second their bodies connected, so he was sporting it before that moment. But what if there was nothing between them but sexual attraction? Could their friendship survive if they gave in to each other, only to find out the attraction was to be short-lived? She didn’t want to lose him…and she didn’t want her children to lose their father’s best friend either—the man who could tell them all the stories only a few men knew about their dad. Stories of friendship, loyalty, laughter, br
otherhood, and survival.
Shit. Eric, tell me what to do…please.
Chapter 6
Leaning against the kitchen counter, Curt took a sip of his coffee. Ryan was outside with Amanda, feeding the chickens and retrieving any eggs that’d been laid, which would be used for breakfast tomorrow morning. Today, the kids and he had all eaten cereal while waiting for Dana to shower and get dressed. After everyone was finished, he’d sent Ryan and Amanda out to the barn, and the other two boys to their room to make their beds and grab whatever they wanted to bring to keep them busy on the road.
He hoped Dana had slept well, because he sure as hell hadn’t. When she’d fled to her room, he’d been tempted to chase after her, but knew it would be the wrong thing to do. She needed some time alone to think about what happened between them. He was as surprised as she was about the kiss, but she’d felt so right in his embrace that he hadn’t been able to resist. For a full hour later, he could still feel her against him and taste her on his lips and tongue. He knew she’d been aware of the hard-on he’d gotten while eyeing her ass. It had been a normal male reaction to a woman he was attracted to, and it would’ve gone away on its own, had it not come in contact with her soft, feminine body. After that, all bets were off.
After tossing and turning on the couch until midnight, he’d known if he was ever going to get any sleep, he would have to take matters into his own hands, which he’d done in the shower. Imagining her on her knees in front of him, sucking him off, it hadn’t taken him long to shoot his load into the shower spray. And damn, just thinking of her now, was making his dick twitch.
Down the hall, he heard her bedroom door open, so he retrieved a clean mug from the cabinet and was pouring her coffee as she entered the kitchen. The dark circles under her eyes told him she hadn’t slept any better than he did. “Good morning.”
She took the steaming mug he handed her, bringing it to the table where the milk carton still sat next to the sugar bowl. She avoided looking him in the eye. “Morning.”
“The kids are all fed. Ryan and Amanda are out collecting eggs while the other two are in their room. Do you want cereal or something else?”
“No thanks. I’m not hungry. I’ll just drink this and bring a granola bar with me for the road.”
“Dana…” He grabbed her elbow and tried to turn her to face him, but she pulled out of his gentle grip. Still refusing to look at him, she began to put away the boxes of cereal and milk. Curt had already placed the dirty bowls and spoons in the dishwasher.
“Can we not talk about this now?” At least they were both thinking about the night before, but whereas he wanted to discuss it, she clearly did not. “I would rather we both forget it happened.”
Stepping toward her, he boxed her in by placing his hands on either side of her hips as she spun around in surprise. “Look at me.” He waited, but her gaze was pinned to his chest. “Damn it, Dana. Look at me.” Slowly, she tilted her head back until he could see her eyes. “What if I don’t want to forget about it? What if I’ve been dreaming about kissing you for weeks now?”
She brought her hands to his chest and tried to push him away as she shook her head, but he wasn’t budging. “Please. Not now. I-I think it was a mistake.”
“And I don’t.” The sound of Ryan and his sister climbing the back porch stairs had him taking a giant step away from her, but his eyes never left hers. “We will be talking about this later. For now, though, I’ll drop it so we can have a fun day with the kids. But don’t think for one minute I regret kissing you.”
Before she could respond, the back door opened and Curt pasted on a tense smile, which quickly became relaxed and real as he listened to Amanda chatter about how many eggs they’d found.
* * *
A little after seven-thirty that evening Curt carried a sleeping Amanda from the couch into her room and tucked her into her bed. The cute pixie was exhausted from all the fun she’d had during the day with her friend and family. Closing her door behind him, he passed Justin and Taylor in the hallway, yawning on their way to their room. Ryan was already in his own bedroom on his Xbox. It wouldn’t be long before the entire house was sleeping soundly from the long day. But before that happened, Dana and he were having a talk about the kiss, whether she wanted to or not. He had to let her know he was interested in taking a forward step to a closer relationship with her, but only if she was ready. He wouldn’t push, but he also wouldn’t wait forever. Patience may be a virtue, but even the most patient man on earth had a breaking point.
Returning to the living room, he saw it was empty. From the sound of things, Dana was cleaning what he already knew was a spotless kitchen. Sighing, he picked up a heavy throw blanket from the back of the couch and strode into the kitchen where she was scrubbing the table she’d wiped down that morning before they left. Placing the blanket over her shoulders, he pulled her upright.
“W-what are you doing?”
“We’re going to sit out on the porch for a little bit and talk,” he told her, taking the damp sponge from her hand and tossing it across the room into the sink.
“Curt, I can’t. I have cleaning to do.”
Steering her toward the back door, he gently pushed her forward, his hands cupping her shoulders. “The house is spotless, as always, to the point I’m wondering if you’re a little obsessive about cleaning. It won’t fall down if you leave a crumb or two on the table.” He reached around her and opened the door. “Outside…please.”
Huffing, she grasped the edges of the blanket and pulled it tighter around her body. Following her out the door, he pointed to the bench swing when she leaned against the railing. “Please, sit with me. I promise—all I’m going to do is talk and hold your hand. Nothing more.”
The wariness on her face deepened, but she didn’t argue. Taking a seat, she got as close to the armrest as she could, trying to keep as much distance between them as he sat next to her. He rolled his eyes and took her hand in his, resting them on his thigh. “I’m not going to attack you, Dana. Please, relax.”
Using his foot, he started the seat swinging. He gave her a few minutes for the tension to ease from her body as he stared out at the darkened bluff, which started its incline sixty or so acres from where they sat. Brushing his thumb over the back of her soft hand, he took a deep breath. “Do you know what I first thought when you were walking toward our table that night at The Clamshell?” He didn’t wait for her to respond, nor did he look at her. “I was kinda pissed Eric had seen you first because I would’ve loved to have hit on you.” Beside him, she snorted in disbelief. “No, really. It’s true. You were smokin’ walking across the bar. Every guy was checking you out, not just me. Then I got to know you and saw how much Eric was in love with you…I think it was love at first sight for him. I’d never seen him as nervous as he’d been with you. It was like he knew already that you were ‘the one’ and he didn’t want to fuck it up.
“I was more than happy to have you as a friend…there were plenty of other women out there and I wasn’t the kind of guy who would hit on a friend’s girl. You became like a sister-in-law to me…note I said ‘in-law’. You could never be a sister to me. A guy like me doesn’t have dreams of a woman he considers a sister. I didn’t have them often, just every once in a while. I kinda felt guilty about it, but since I would never act on it, it wasn’t a problem.”
He finally turned and faced her, even though she was still looking out over the vast universe as if it held all the answers. “I can’t deny my feelings have changed, sweetheart. At first, I thought it was because I promised Eric I would watch over his family if anything ever happened to him.” She knew all about the vow he’d made many years ago. “But then those dreams started coming almost every night. You’re not just a friend to me anymore. I force myself not to call you every day, just to hear your voice.” His gaze returned to the horizon. “Hell, the last time I had sex with a woman was over a year ago—”
“Get out of here, Conrad Michael Bannerman
. Don’t give me that. You date all the time.”
Chuckling at her incredulous tone and use of his full, given name, he shook his head. “No, I’m dead serious. And, yeah, I used to date all the time. I’ll admit it. I was a man-whore during my twenties and the first half of my thirties. But then I realized I wanted what you and Eric had…a family…someone to grow old with. I started going out on dates looking for ‘the one’, but none of the women were her…now I think I know why. I wasn’t looking for just any woman…I wanted a woman like you. Someone who made me laugh and let me crash here anytime I wanted to visit…no questions asked. Someone who made sure I had somewhere to go for every holiday. A woman who worried if I was eating right, or booked a flight for my best friend to fly to Daytona when she heard I crashed my bike and was in the hospital.” That had happened a few years ago and that’s exactly what Dana had done while Eric had been on the phone with Curt’s brother trying to get updates. Curt had broken a few ribs and his arm, along with having a major concussion for which they’d put him in a medically induced coma, but thankfully, he’d completely recovered. He’d awoken four days later, when they’d eased him off the meds keeping him asleep, to find Eric sitting in a chair, anxious to make sure he was all right.
“Look. I know this is difficult territory for us…I’m sure you’re worried about the kids and what would happen if things didn’t work out…but, sweetheart, I can’t help but think this is the start of something beautiful between us. Something that was meant to be. Not years ago…but now. Just promise me you’ll think about it. I won’t bring it up again until I come back up in two weeks. Then, if you want to leave it as friends, I’ll abide by your wishes. But just know you’re special to me, more now than ever, and I’ve never wanted another woman the way I want you.” Yeah, that was dirty pool, attaching that on at the end, but he hoped it would lead her to start having dreams of the two of them together. Why should he be the only one taking cold showers like the one he needed right now?
Whiskey Tribute: A Trident Security Series Novella - Book 5.5 Page 4