A cool breeze greeted me as I stared at the clear blue sky. I loved fall and it seemed a perfect day to pick apples. Rose had had a great idea for once.
Our land contained ten apple trees, which we called an orchard. It was very small in comparison to the public farms but my father fretted over the trees year-round. If he wasn’t at the office or with us, then he was spending time with his trees, pruning or spraying. He’d be pleased with a homemade apple pie made from his little orchard.
The trees topped a hill about half a mile from the house on the edge of our property, close to the woods. I ambled toward them, letting my tennis shoes drag over the grass until I saw a redhead in one of the trees.
Damn, Rose had beaten me. I searched the orchard and spotted Adele.
She waved. “Slowpoke.”
I sighed. I hadn’t noticed that the other baskets had been missing on the counter. I guess dishes were on my agenda after all. I climbed the closest tree, hanging my basket on a branch, and started to pick.
“You’re awfully quiet this morning, Pia.” Adele stayed on the ground as she picked. Last year she broke her wrist when she’d fallen from a tree. “How was your date? Will there be more?”
Ah, the real reason behind the apple picking came out. I sighed. “It was nice. We haven’t made any other arrangements so I don’t know if I’ll see him again.”
They were quiet and I twisted around to see they were both staring at me. “What?”
“Details.” Rose just about growled. She could sound like a shifter when she wanted to.
“He made me a nice dinner—”
“He cooks? Bonus. And?” Both of their baskets remained ignored.
“He fed me. We talked a little about his wives.” I picked a few more apples. There wasn’t that much to report except I really liked him. He made me feel special.
“As in spoon-fed? That’s a little old-fashioned. Something Dad would do.” Rose made an unpleasant face. “Let’s get to the good stuff. Was he good in bed?”
I laughed. “I couldn’t tell you. We didn’t have sex.”
Rose crossed her arm. “The male has made a serious effort to court you and you couldn’t put out?”
Shaking my head, I picked a rotting apple from a close-by branch and tossed it at her.
With the grace of a dancer, she sidestepped my shot.
I sighed. “He’s the one who said no.”
“Really?” They echoed each other.
“Yeah.”
As if reading each other’s minds, they both threw apples at me. From there we got out of control, tossing more apples than we put in our baskets.
Adele had a wicked arm. Her shots would leave bruises. I managed to tumble to the ground in one piece and crawl behind a trunk when an ear-piercing whistle stunned us to a stop.
“Ladies, no one answered the doorbell but I heard the screams and thought to investigate.” Val strolled up the hill. He wore pale gray dress pants and a sweater, fitting for the brisk weather.
Hoel followed him, carrying a large picnic basket.
The sight of it sent my heart into palpitations. Val wanted to spend the afternoon with me? I wanted to jump up and down like an overeager schoolgirl. Instead, I stood and brushed off my muddy knees. I did my best to keep a stupid grin off my face but failed.
“Mr. Hunan, what a pleasant surprise.” Adele strode toward him, hand held out, charm oozing from her pores. The slut.
He kissed her hand.
A primal instinct grabbed hold of my mind. One moment I was by the tree, the next I was beside Val, holding his hands. I could hear Adele chuckling under her breath and I sent her a glare over my shoulder, mouthing the word mine.
It only made her laugh harder. “Oh, this is going to be so fun.”
“Pia, I know I should have called first but I decided to take a chance and surprise you.” Val squeezed my hands back.
My heart did a silly fluttery thing. I had to place my hand on my chest to ease the thumping. ‘Surprised’ didn’t define my state of shock. Val was trying to woo me and he was doing a great job of it.
He held out his hand for the basket. “Will you have lunch with me?” His gaze was focused on me. How could he ignore my gorgeous sisters? Hell, how come he refused them in the first place?
Breathless, I tried to speak. “Sure, did you have somewhere in mind?” Get it together, Pia. Every time I encountered Val, a little of the fortress around my heart crumbled. I couldn’t afford to play love games. He didn’t know exactly how fragile I was and I didn’t know how sincere his feelings were. If this was an act, he deserved an Oscar.
“You choose.”
I didn’t have to think about it. I had a favorite spot, my secret thinking place. Contrary to everyone’s beliefs, I did take time to think about my future. I just didn’t act upon it.
“There’s a nice river in the park, plenty of secluded spots.” Rose circled Hoel as if trying to cut him from the herd like a lioness.
“No, I want to go to Frog Pond.” I held out my hand toward Val.
“Uh, okay.” Adele and Rose exchanged a glance as if I’d lost my mind. “Don’t they migrate this time of year?” Adele wrinkled her nose at the mention of it.
“Yep.” I pulled Val to follow me. “Will Hoel be joining us?”
“No, he’ll wait in the car.”
“That’s boring.” I met Rose’s pleading gaze. “Why don’t you enjoy lunch with my sisters, Hoel? Let Adele cook, though.”
A flash of horror passed over his face so fast I doubted my sisters noticed. That or they didn’t care.
Rose handed him her basket of apples and led him away while Adele brought up the rear, blocking any of his attempts to retreat.
“That was cruel.” Val smiled. “I like this side of you.”
“Ha, until the tables are turned and my secret evil powers are focused on you.” I guided him to the woods bordering our property and onto a dirt path.
“Don’t be so foolish to underestimate me. Many have tried to pull the wool over my eyes and failed.” He ran his thumb over my fingers in an absentminded way.
“Who would ever be dumb enough to underestimate you?” I laughed. “You terrify me.”
He stopped walking and pulled me to face him. “I wouldn’t hurt you, never be afraid.”
The sincerity of his words tempted my lonely soul but I fought the lure. “All males say that. What makes you different?” Strength was something I’d found after being broken but it was a fickle friend. One wrong move and weakness would rule my life once more.
He retreated a step as if I’d slapped him again. “I guess I’ll have to prove it.”
I nodded, pleased by his answer. We walked the rest of the way to the pond in silence. Woodpeckers knocked out their beats and chased the last of the fall bugs. A flock of Canadian geese flew way overhead, so high I could barely see them, but the clear day allowed their honks to drift down. The path meandered into a valley and at the bottom was a very shallow marsh that emptied into a large pond.
I spread my arms out wide, encompassing the view. “Welcome to Frog Pond.”
Chapter Ten
Val scoped out the area, turning one way then the other. He pointed to a spot between marsh and pond. “That looks flat enough to spread the blanket.” He stomped on the ground and moved some of the fallen leaves away with his leather shoes. “And dry.”
He opened the thick, red plaid blanket and laid it on the spot, then unpacked the basket.
I leaned against the trunk of a dormant tree and watched his sure movements. He should have appeared out of place in the woods, wearing his designer pants and real leather shoes, but nothing seemed further from the truth. “Who are you, Valerio?”
He paused in setting a thermos on the blanket. “
What do you want to know?”
“Everything.” It was the truth. He’d piqued my curiosity.
“Well, we may freeze to death if we stayed here while I told you my life story.” He patted the blanket next to him. “Come.”
I sauntered over, playing with a stem of long grass between my fingers, and sat next to him. “Not all in one shot then. You have a faint accent. Where is it from?”
“New Orleans.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t have guessed that. It sounds more French.”
“Creole. I was raised there with my sisters but most of the culture I grew up with is centuries gone.”
I went to lift the lid off a pot he’d placed between us but he tapped my fingers with a spoon. “No peeking.”
I stuffed my fingers in my mouth on reflex. “Okay.”
His gaze targeted my mouth. “Let me see.” He drew my hand into his.
“I’m fine.” I laughed. “You surprised me.”
He kept watching my lips.
The flutters returned, but in my stomach this time. My smile faded as he bent closer and I closed my eyes.
The kiss landed gently, but he withdrew almost immediately, hovering near enough that I could sense him, before he returned and kissed me just a tad deeper. His fingers traced my cheek, leaving a trail of tingles in their wake, while we explored with our lips.
A shiver ran over my flesh, electric and snappy, refreshing me like a jump in a cool lake. I don’t know how long I sat with my eyes closed, before realizing he’d withdrawn from our kiss.
My eyes flickered open.
He still leaned close, watching me, a smug smile on his face.
I cleared my throat, a burning blush scalding my cheeks. “Did you cook this?” I pointed to the mysterious pot.
“Of course. One of my five recipes.”
“Why five? Why not learn more?”
He chuckled. “When I find a sixth meal I enjoy enough, I will add it to my repertoire. I don’t like wasting my time with things I don’t appreciate to the fullest.” He opened a bottle of red wine and poured two glasses.
“Like wives?” I sipped and savored the dry tang of my drink.
He glanced at me as he continued to set our meal. “Yes.”
“Hmm…you seem very finicky. How old are you?”
Chuckling, he finally opened the lid to the pot. A whiff of spice and tomatoes rolled over me. Some kind of red rice casserole was inside. “Jambalaya, like my mothers made.” He grinned as I made a give-me gesture with my hands.
“I hope it’s spicy.” I didn’t even falter as he fed me a spoonful.
“Not as much as I like. I didn’t know your preferences.”
It tasted super-fab and I gave him the thumbs-up. “Don’t hold back on the heat. Not for me.”
“No, I guess I shouldn’t. You seem to like things…intense.” He took a mouthful.
The meal continued in the same fashion as last night. He fed me and I did my best to wrestle the spoon from his grasp to feed him. The wine disappeared quickly and our laughter grew louder.
I peered into the basket. “Did you bring more chocolate?”
“After your reaction to it last night? Of course I did, but it’s not in the basket.” He packed our dirty dishes as I regarded his back.
He hid the chocolate? Obviously, he had no idea how dangerous that could be. I crept behind him, checking out his outfit. There couldn’t be any other place to hide it but on his person. He hadn’t known I’d choose this location for our picnic.
“What are you doing?” He glanced over his shoulder.
“For a male of the world, you’re acting very naïve about hiding a female’s chocolate.” I snaked my hand into the closest pocket.
He tried to scoot and laugh at the same time but it turned into a wrestling match as I patted him down like a fugitive.
“Oh come on. Don’t tell me you left it with Hoel? My sisters probably ate it by now.” And him too. With a quick grabbity motion, I ran my hands under Val’s sweater and over the shirt he wore under it. Nice, solid muscles slid beneath my palms as he squirmed.
“Pia, I’d be more than happy to give it to you.”
I grinned. “I’m sure you would.” Then I winked at his stunned expression. “But this is more fun.” Bingo. I felt the small lump in his breast pocket and procured the chocolate. I sat up and noticed I was straddling Val. During my fun, I’d managed to pin him to the blanket. It was finally my turn for a smug grin. I popped the chocolate in my mouth.
With his dark hair a mess, fanned out over the red blanket, Val looked good enough to add to my dessert. Something hard pressed between my legs. “Are you packing bananas as well?” I rocked my hips. The press of his considerable package sent a delicious zing through my clit.
“You play a dangerous game, Pia.”
“I’m not the one hiding chocolate, Val.”
With a growl, he rolled us and I found we’d changed positions way too easily for my comfort. He was rather strong for a businessman. “What is it you do for a living, again?”
He pinned both my hands over my head and demanded a kiss. This one contained nothing gentle, his tongue pushed past my lips as he thrust his hard bulge against me. He left no taste bud unturned.
I liked his game better. I arched my back, pressing our bodies together. Sex in the woods was more fun than baking pie. I would have preferred a warmer day but if we stayed active, we’d avoid frostbite.
He yanked away with an almost-snarl. The vicious heat in his eyes struck a deep yearning in my body. I liked this hunger in Val.
My gaze traveled to his swollen lower lip. So full and wet. I snapped it with my teeth and tugged him back on top of me before letting him go.
“Fuck, Pia.” He ground against me, short-circuiting my brain. “You don’t know how much I want you.”
I caught my breath. “I’m not holding any stop signs. Do you need a welcome mat too?” I wrapped my knees around his hips so he wouldn’t stop. Oh crap, please let all that bulge be real and not some forsaken sock.
With his free hand, he grabbed my breast, kneading it. “I wish you would place a few speed bumps, sweetheart. I am a married man, after all.” He pinched my hard nipple and rolled it, not too gently either.
I cried out, so close to coming from dry-humping alone. It would have been embarrassing if I had enough brainpower left to care. “Spee—speed bumps. What?”
He bent his head to suck my nipple through my T-shirt. The wetness traveled past the material caressing my skin.
“Oh God, Val. Fuck me already before I implode.”
The fastenings of my jeans came undone easily in his hand and he slipped it inside. “I’m going to give you release.”
“Let me go.” I struggled to liberate my hands, desperate to stroke and cradle him.
“No,” he whispered in my ear, his breath so hot and heavy. “You’re so silky.” He trailed a finger between my nether lips until he reached my clitoris. “There it is.”
I bit my bottom lip to keep from begging like a fool.
Pinching my bud, he simultaneously pulled and rolled it with slow strokes that sent me rocketing under him.
So much for not begging, I don’t remember exactly what I said but it contained a lot of oh baby and please God. Just as I was coming down from cloud nine, Val rubbed it a different way, sending me back swirling into the sky.
He whispered dirty things in my ear. He was as naughty as I’d hoped, maybe more.
On the fourth round, I begged some more, but this time to stop and let me breathe. I could understand how people died during sex. Heck, we hadn’t even undressed.
Val rolled off me and stared at the sky as he licked his fingers.
It took me a bit of time to understand what he tasted
and it sent another of wave of desire through me, almost cramping in its intensity. “What did you do to me?”
He chuckled, the sound pure masculine delight. “I enjoyed myself and gave you a small taste of nights to come.”
I couldn’t move. All my joints had turned to water. I’d just had the best orgasms ever with all my clothes on. Turning my head, I stared at his stunning profile. Succubi had to have sex often. Like most people who had to do something repeatedly, they became experts. An incubus’s skills needed to be quite honed to keep his wives happy and be able to feed from them during orgasm.
I jerked. “Hey, you didn’t feed from me.”
“No.” He smiled at the sky. “Sex shouldn’t only be about food.” With a slow twist of his head, he met my gaze, a warm, welcoming smile on his face. “Don’t you think?”
“Sure.” There was more to Valerio Hunan then I’d first suspected. “But so far this has been a pretty one-sided affair. You haven’t climaxed once with me.”
He rolled onto his side and peered down at me. “I am the pursuer in this courtship.”
“Good point, but I think we can move onto the next step. I’m not into speed bumps. However, I am willing to compromise.” Feeling began to return below my hips. My gazed wandered from his piercing blue eyes, to his succulent lips, to the pulse beating in his corded neck…round two could be a possibility.
“I’ll take that into serious consideration.” Kissing my forehead, he escaped my arms. “What is making that racket?”
I’d been so busy making my own noise that I hadn’t noticed the frogs singing. Sitting up, a little light-headed from the exertion and wine, I scanned the marsh. “Look at the grasses. They’re swaying.”
Val set himself between me and the movement in a defensive crouch.
Who was this male? I ran my hand down his broad back. “It’s okay. The frogs are migrating.” I’d only seen this a few times in my life. It’s not like we could set a date to catch the migration. Every fall the frogs of the marsh moved into the pond for the winter. And today was the day. I crept to my knees and leaned forward. “Watch, you’ll love this.” I wrapped around his arm and leaned against his shoulder. “I’m so glad you get to see this.”
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