Kissing Bree

by JoMarie DeGioia

  Chapter 9

  Derek walked out of his office, tamping down his excitement about the coming evening. He didn’t know exactly what to expect when he showed up at Bree’s house but he knew it would be amazing. That kiss against his closed door had fueled his imagination. She was good with those lips of hers.

  He crossed into the town center. It looked a lot like New England in spring time, and he couldn’t help but notice the flowers popping up just about everywhere. He had no idea what some of these flowers and plants were. He wasn’t a city kid like Eli, but the only flowers he ever really saw were the arrangements his mother put in their grand entry or the roses in her garden behind the house.

  He thought again about moving her—and his sister, apparently—into his new house. There was plenty of room in the back for her to put a garden. The entry wasn’t quite as grand as in Eddie Stone’s house but it was impressive as well as welcoming. Besides, she wouldn’t live with him for long. Abby was another story but he’d deal with that later. Right now, he wanted to think about Bree and what might happen tonight.

  He made his way over the brick sidewalk toward the market, seeing people walking around or just enjoying the late afternoon warmth. The storefronts were attached along this side of the street. First came the ice cream shop. Little kids and high schoolers were enjoying frozen treats on the wrought iron benches in front today. Next was the coffee shop. He waved to Lettie, who wore a smile as she lifted her glass of iced tea. He didn’t want to engage the woman this afternoon. From what he’d heard, she could see right through a guy. There was no way he would let her see what he was thinking about Bree. The bright green awnings of Sweet Escape were next, but the bakery was closed at this hour.

  He reached the market and saw that it was open for about another hour. He smiled to the tall skinny kid working the counter as he passed on his way towards the upturned crates serving as a wine display. His mother had impressed upon him the importance of never going to a person’s house empty-handed. His patrician upbringing and New England propriety were both hard to deny. He had to show up at Bree’s with something.

  Grabbing a bottle each of pinot and merlot, he stepped up to the counter.

  “Will this be all?” the kid asked.

  Derek nodded. Maybe he should have picked up something for dinner, but he was new to this secret dating thing they had going on. A guy buying a couple bottles of wine wouldn’t raise brows but if he picked up take-out for two? The cat would probably be out of the bag. Eli and Jessie had both told him about the Cypress fishbowl. He sure as hell didn’t want to be stuck in that glass, thanks.

  A middle-aged guy looking like a broader version of the kid at the counter nodded to Derek as he left the market. The small town friendliness was everywhere and he didn’t know if he would ever get used to it. It had felt weird when he’d been down here last year, but now this was his new normal.

  “Thanks,” he said to the guy as he left.

  Oliver walked toward him, waving as he ducked into the sporting goods store up the block. He thought he’d heard that Oliver’s boyfriend ran the store, but he wasn’t sure. He peered into the wide windows as he passed, seeing a nice collection of running clothes and other equipment. Between the market and the other businesses in the square, a person really didn’t have to ever leave Cypress Corners.

  “That’s a little unnerving,” he said as he crossed the street back to his car.

  “Good night, Derek,” Rick Chapman called from where he stood at his SUV.

  “Good night.”

  “No plans tonight?” Rick asked.

  Derek kept his expression even. “Nope.”

  “See you in the morning.” Rick grinned. “Mr. Forbes called a meeting for nine-thirty.”

  “When did that happen?”

  “Just about five minutes ago. It’ll show up in your schedule soon, I’ll bet.”

  “Okay, thanks.”

  Another complication. He and Bree would share…something tonight and then he’d have to sit across from her at the table in the conference room tomorrow morning.

  The drive to Bree’s house was short. After debating whether he should park out front, he decided that if anybody noticed his car they could just mind their own business.

  “Yeah, right,” he grumbled.

  He took off his tie and tossed it on the passenger seat. Grabbing the bottles of wine, he walked up to her porch. There were a few things on the porch he hadn’t noticed the last time he’d been here. Pillows set on the bench. A wide welcome mat. A fluffy wreath hanging on the yellow front door. Maybe he could ask for her help in making his new place more appealing.

  That sunny yellow door opened and Bree stood there, her eyes narrowed but a smile curving her lips. She’d changed into jeans and a soft-looking long sleeve shirt in a blue nearly the color of her eyes. “Six forty-five on the dot.”

  He nodded. “As promised.”

  “Promised?” She stepped back to let him inside. “I don’t remember asking for any promises, Derek.”

  “You’re sharp.” He smiled. “Right. No promises.”

  “Why does this sound the start of a negotiation?”

  He set the bottles of wine on the tall counter and shrugged. “Let’s review. No thank yous. No I’m sorries. Now no promises. This is on you, baby.”

  She laughed, a light sound he’d never heard from her before. It was sweet and musical and sexy as hell.

  “I ordered a pizza,” she said.

  “Good, I’m starving.” He gestured toward the cabinet drawers behind the tall counter. “Wine opener?”

  She came around and handed it to him. “Why don’t you chill the white?”

  He opened the red. “Sure. What kind of pizza did you get?”

  “Meat.”

  He arched a brow. “As in pepperoni? Sausage? Ham?”

  “Yes on all three counts. The tavern makes an amazing pizza and I’ve been craving one all week.”

  “I was going to grab takeout for us but thought that might arouse too much suspicion. Cypress fishbowl and all.”

  “Yes, that darn fishbowl. So far I’ve managed to stay out of the net. Or something like that.”

  “Net’s correct, but that would mean you’re still in the bowl.”

  “Aren’t we all?”

  He laughed now and filled the glasses she handed him. “I never thought I’d miss the city life, but there is a level of anonymity that’s lacking in Cypress.”

  “Too true.”

  She took a glass from him and swirled it a little before taking a sip. It was an unconscious motion, and certain went with her proper country-club upbringing. He drank a bit of his, idly noting that the wine was pretty good considering he’d gotten it at the town market.

  “So.” He set his glass down on the counter closest to her and leaned in. “How is this going to work?”

  She stared up at him, licking her plump lower lip. He wanted to bite that lip. To kiss her hard and do everything he’d fantasized about since meeting her last week. When she shook her head at him he nearly growled in frustration. Then she grinned.

  “No more negotiations, counselor.” She reached up to wrap her arms around his neck. “Let’s just say that nothing is off the table.”

  He drew her closer, letting his hands slide down to cup her ass. She made a soft little moan and his heart started to pound. Then the doorbell rang and she slipped out of his arms.

  “Dinner first,” she said.

  “First?” He brushed his hair back from his face. “I like the sound of that.”

  ***

  Bree’s hands were a little unsteady as she took the pizza box from the kid on the front porch. “I tipped when I ordered.”

  “Thank you.” The kid bobbed his head and loped back toward his golf cart.

  She brought the box to the kitchen to find Derek had set the tall counter. He’d located the plates, but it wasn’t like he’d snooped in her medicine cabinet or anything. It did feel a little too domestic
and familiar, but since he’d given her an orgasm in this very kitchen she figured she’d let it slide. He’d gotten into her drawers, after all. She shouldn’t be ticked off if he went into her cabinets.

  “I’ve had their pizza,” Derek said. “It’s pretty good.”

  “Room service, so to speak, is one of the amenities I personally appreciate in Cypress Corners.”

  “Room service?”

  She nodded and chose a piece of pizza for herself. “You can order just about anything from the tavern and have it delivered to your door.”

  “I didn’t know that. Do you do that a lot?”

  “Enough. For a single girl who really doesn’t like to eat out alone, it’s a great option to cooking.”

  “So you can’t cook.”

  “I can cook. I just choose not to.”

  “I can’t cook.” He took a bite of his pizza and made a sound of satisfaction. “Meat. Good.”

  She laughed and ate some of her own dinner. “You can’t cook at all?”

  “I can make the guy things. Like broil a steak or pile lunchmeat on bread to make a sandwich.”

  “That last thing isn’t cooking.”

  He shrugged, chewing on the crust as he grabbed another slice. “It’s close enough. I hardly ever ate at home in Boston.”

  Her ears pricked. This was the first time he’d volunteered information about his life before Cypress. “No?”

  “When I was a kid, yes. My mother baked but we had a cook who did everything else.”

  “Sounds like my parents’ house.”

  He nodded. Their eyes caught for a second and she thought he was going to say something but then he just drank more of his wine. His expression had gone shuttered again. As they continued to eat, she took in his appearance. She’d changed after work but he clearly hadn’t. His tie was gone and a couple more shirt buttons were undone but otherwise he was still starchy.

  “I’ve started to dig through the crates,” she offered.

  “Find anything good?”

  “It’s all good. Very fine crystal and china and a whole host of things I’m probably not ever going to use.”

  “How about the hope chest? Did you decide where to put it?”

  She glanced around the living area and shrugged. “I thought next to the fireplace might work.”

  He wipes his hands on a napkin and stood. “Let me go grab it now.”

  “Derek, you don’t have to do that.”

  He folded his arms. “If you remember I hauled that sucker into your garage. I can pop it on the dolly and bring it in here.”

  She nibbled her lip. He’d already started to fold back the cuffs of his dress shirt and she was once more reminded of how strong he was. He wasn’t any soft squishy kind of guy who subsisted under artificial light. There was an outdoorsy vibe she caught from him now and then, which seemed very out of place with what she knew about his background. What little she knew, that was.

  She led him to the back of the house where the door to the garage was located. It was set at the back of the house, like most of the homes in Cypress. This gave the neighborhood streets a more welcoming feeling, letting the front porches take center stage instead of wide paver-stone driveways.

  Derek had the hope chest on the dolly thing and wheeled it over to the fireplace. There was a window set to one side of it and she indicated that spot. He set it down with care and straightened.

  “Is that okay?”

  “That’s great.” She ran a hand over the smooth inlaid wood on the chest’s top. “Thank you.”

  She was still standing there when he returned from putting the dolly back in the garage. In the harsh light of the storage unit she hadn’t noticed how fine the piece was. It was covered in its inlaid design, geometric shapes both large and tiny combined to make a gorgeous art deco flower.

  “I didn’t realize it was so pretty.”

  He shrugged in answer. “It was full of her hopes, right?”

  She smiled and turned. There was a wistfulness on his face, something she’d never seen there. “Does it remind you of something?”

  “No. We had a lot of antiques in the house growing up. Maybe I saw something like it once. The design is pretty and it’s obviously very valuable.”

  “You think so?”

  “It’s handcrafted, so yes. How old would you say this is?”

  “I’m not sure. She married my grandfather back in the early sixties. If she had it for her engagement that makes it over fifty years old. It feels older, though.”

  “It’s the style, I think. Probably dates it to around the twenties.”

  “She did love deco stuff. I put up one of the lamps we found.”

  He looked at the torchiere she’d placed over in one corner, the one with the purple shade. “Looks good there. So are you going to help me decorate my place?”

  She scoffed. “Please. I haven’t even done mine yet.”

  “Yes, but you’re clearly procrastinating.”

  “Am I? Then what are you doing? Jumping the gun?”

  He laughed. “I haven’t bought anything yet. I’m just thinking that with my mother and sister coming down I’ll need to do their rooms at least.”

  “Your mother and sister are going to live with you?”

  He looked surprised that he’d shared that bit of information. “Uh, just for a little while.”

  She guessed he didn’t want to disclose anything else about his private life. She sure wasn’t sharing much with him, either. After another stroke of her hand over the chest’s top, she stood. “Let’s finish dinner.”

  In a flash she set aside any talk about family or heirlooms. He seemed to catch on quickly and her pulse spiked.

  “Dinner first.” He nodded, his eyes dark. “Right.”

  She walked back to the kitchen, feeling his gaze on her now. Yes, dinner first. And then she would get to know Derek Stone a little bit better. He was letting down his guard, after all. Maybe she should return the favor. He’d given her the power, hadn’t he?

  Tonight she was going to use it.

  Chapter 10

  Derek pulled Bree close, running his hands all over her body. They were tangled on her couch, wearing very little. He’d noticed the black lace bra on Saturday night. Tonight’s was in a pink color nearly the same shade as her nipples. She’d torn off his shirt and now he only wore his boxer briefs. He hadn’t made out on a couch in years, but this felt just right.

  She arched as he kissed her again, her hands in his hair as she drove her tongue into his mouth. She was smooth and sweet all over, and when he touched her damp lace panties he felt her heat.

  “Derek,” she breathed as she pulled away from his kiss. “Oh, that feels good.”

  He lowered his face to her cleavage, licking his way to her nipple. Her floral scent was stronger here, and he breathed her in. Her bra had a plastic hook in the front, so he released it with a flick of his fingers. She filled his hands, plump and tight, and he couldn’t wait to get her skin-to-skin.

  Bracing himself on his hands, he rubbed his chest against her breasts. She made a sound of pleasure and he shifted so that his groin was cradled by her thighs. There was very little between them right now, but he wasn’t going to push her for more. Not yet, anyway.

  “Baby, you feel so good.” He kissed her again before sucking on her nipples. “Taste so good.”

  She arched again and he moved down to lick her through her panties.

  “Oh!” She wriggled against him, obviously as hot for him as he was for her.

  He moved the lace aside with one thumb and placed his mouth on her. She was slick and sweet, and he ran his tongue over her pussy with one long stroke. She trembled and he glanced up to see her close her eyes. Proper, patrician Bree was gone and this girl beneath him craved everything he wanted to give her.

  “Come for me, baby.” He licked and suckled her clit and she began to sob. “Let go.”

  She cried out, rising against him as she shivered in her rele
ase. It was like their first night, but better. Deeper. Damn, he wanted to be inside of her but they weren’t there yet. Not that he had any idea of when that would be.

  He pulled away from her and watched as her eyes fluttered open. He couldn’t help but smile at how rosy and rocked she looked.

  “Wow.” She grinned up at him. “That was… Wow.”

  “So you said.” He took her hand and tugged her to a seated position. His dick was as hard as that inlaid wood on her grandmother’s hope chest, but he wouldn’t pressure her. “You’re okay?”

  She stretched her arms up over her head and he got another great look at her tits. “Better than okay.”

  He nodded, trying to keep raw need from showing on his face.

  “What about you?” she asked when he didn’t say anything.

  “I’ll live.”

  She shook her head. “Nope. I’m not leaving you like that again.”

  “That?” He chuckled. “What do you mean?”

  “You’re hard, Derek. Ooh, you’re hard and you need something.”

  “Damn right I do, but I gave you the power, remember?”

  “Yeah, you did. Seems to me that was a rookie mistake, counselor.”

  She cupped him and he groaned. “You’re killing me, Bree. Tell me I won’t have to jerk off again tonight?”

  Her hand stilled. “You really did that?”

  He eyed her. “I did. And I was thinking about you the whole time.”

  She bit her lower lip and folded her legs underneath her ass. “What did you think about?”

  “What you felt like that night. What you tasted like.”

  “Tasted?”

  “I used my imagination, but tonight I realized I was way off. You’re fucking delicious.”

  She sucked in a breath, her eyes wide. “Oh, my.”

  He shrugged and she cupped him through his briefs. “Bree, please.”

  She grinned and pushed his briefs down. “That’s just what I was thinking.”

  He’d expected a hand job at the very least but when she put her mouth on him he nearly exploded. With every lick, every suckle, she drove him crazy. Putting his hands in her silky hair, he held her head reverently as her mouth and tongue did very naughty things to his dick.