“I just want to be a good father. I know she has reservations about marriage, so I won’t push that issue, but I want us to be a family.”
“See?” George turned to Kat. “Now, this is a good man.”
Kat seethed next to me. “Two minutes ago you were saying he wasn’t a good man!”
“That was two minutes ago,” her father shrugged.
“You know, he wanted me to be his pretend girlfriend so his parents weren’t disappointed in him.”
George nodded with a grin. “I like it. It shows that he still respects his parents.”
Kat screamed in agitation and stormed out of the living room. George turned to me with a grin. “She’s got fire like her mother too. Don’t let her push you away. She’s one of the good ones.”
“Trust me, George, I can see that.”
Katherine
“Dad, I promise, I’m taking care of myself.”
He stood by the door, looking at me in concern. I had been mad at him when he divorced my mom, but after a few years, I saw that he was still the same man, he was just happier not married to my mom.
“You should seriously consider what a life with that man could be.”
“Dad, you hated him when you found out I was pregnant.”
“And then I talked to him.”
“For like five minutes,” I said exasperatedly.
“It doesn’t take more than that for a man to assess another man. I liked what I saw. He’ll treat you right. You could do worse, sugar.”
I glanced back toward the kitchen. Eric was in there doing up the dishes. I couldn’t see him, but I knew he was doing all this willingly, and not because he was trying to get in my pants.
“Dad, I promise, I’m seeing where this is going, but I won’t just jump into a relationship with him because of the baby. That won’t end well for either of us.”
“I understand. Have you told your mom yet?” I cringed. “You know she’s not going to be upset.”
“Have you met Mom?”
“Alright, well, she won’t be mad for long. And she’ll be disappointed more than anything. But you know your mother. She always comes around.”
“Disappointment is worse than being upset.”
“Honey,” he wrapped his hands around my arms. “Just rip the bandaid off. You’ll see. It’ll be fine. Take that man with you, and that’ll take the edge off. You know your momma has a weakness for handsome men. Just don’t tell him I said that.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, I’m not about to tell him my dad has a man crush.”
“I never said I had a man crush. I said he was handsome. A man that’s sure about his sexuality can say things like that.”
I rolled my eyes and accepted the kiss on the cheek. After he left, I shut the door and made my way back to the kitchen. Eric had most of the dishes washed and I couldn’t help but notice how much it made me tingle to see him in my house, doing domestic things.
I must have been staring for a long time, because he suddenly turned to me and grinned as he wiped his hands on the towel. I couldn’t take my eyes off this masculine hands. The way they moved, the way they were so long and….
My eyes snapped up to his face when he cleared his throat. I blushed furiously, but only because of what I had been thinking, what I was hoping he would do to me with those fingers.
He glanced at the clock. “I should let you get some sleep.”
“Right,” I nodded, disappointed that he wasn’t actually going to try anything.
“Was there anything else you needed before I go?”
“Uh…no. I’m just gonna sit down and put my feet up for a little bit.”
His brows furrowed and he glanced down. “Do your feet hurt?”
I snorted. “My feet always hurt, pregnant or not.”
He nodded thoughtfully. “Why don’t you go take a shower and then I’ll give you a foot massage.”
“Really?”
“I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t mean it.”
It felt weird to walk away from him, knowing that he was sticking around to give me a foot massage. There were so many other things I would rather have than a foot massage right now, but if that’s all he was willing to give, I’d take it. I went through my shower quickly, knowing that if I took too long, I might miss out on that foot massage. I threw on some pajama shorts and a tank top, then headed back into the living room. Eric was sitting on the couch, flipping through the channels.
I walked over to the couch and he immediately moved over, patting the couch for me to sit down. I did as he said, but was caught off guard when he hauled my leg up into his lap.
“Lay down.”
“What?” I asked, my body tingling.
“Lay down. I want you to relax.”
I swallowed hard, well aware that if I laid down facing him, he would most likely be able to see up my shorts. But I complied and got a small thrill when he realized his error. His eyes were glued to the space between my legs. I saw his throat working for control until he finally glanced away. He cleared his throat several times and snatched the lotion off the table.
Slowly, he worked the lotion into my foot. It felt so good as he applied all the right pressure. I wanted to say that I was relaxing, but the truth was, I wanted him, and having his hands gliding across my skin was more than I could take. It was like a lightning bolt right to my core. My whole body was starting to shake uncontrollably. It wasn’t that noticeable, but if he kept going, kept rubbing his hands over my feet, I might just jump him.
Then his hands slid up around my ankles and over my calves. My eyes shot to his and what I saw could only be described as pure lust. He didn’t take his eyes off me as he slowly worked his hands up and down my calves. I wasn’t even paying attention anymore to whether or not it felt good. Slowly, his hands moved up my leg to my knee and then a little higher.
I saw the indecision in his eyes. I knew what he wanted. I spread my legs wider, hoping he would take my invitation. His hands moved higher until they were wrapped around my thigh. He bent over and slid his tongue up my leg. I gasped and moaned, sure that I was going to come just from his touch.
“Oh God.”
His tongue slowly licked around my inner thigh and then he paused, just inches from the crotch of my shorts. His eyes slipped closed and I saw him sniff. His hands tightened around my thighs. I was sure this was it. He was going to rip down my shorts and tongue fuck me. Just the thought of it had me creaming.
“Christ,” he murmured. Then he was on top of me, kissing me hard as his hand slid behind my head and held me to him. I wrapped my legs around him, pulling him tight against me. He groaned and his hips jerked against me. I gasped at the sensation, begging him to do it again. His hips bucked against me, his jeans pressing hard against my clit. I was panting hard, just barely hanging on when he tore himself away from me, panting hard.
He stood, not looking at me as he ran his hand through his hair. I was shaking hard, needing something only he could give me. I reached out for him, but he stepped away, shaking his head slightly. I opened my mouth to say something, but I didn’t know what. Was he rejecting me? Did he not want me? Because it really felt like he did. Hurt washed over me and I covered my face, embarrassed that I had put myself out there and then failed so miserably.
I felt the couch dip beside me and then he was prying my hands away, pressing kisses to my cheeks and lips. “It’s not you, Kat. I want you. You know I do. But we have to take this slowly. I want you so fucking much, but I don’t want to screw this up with you.”
His lips landed on mine in a gentle kiss, and then he was striding away from me and walking out the door. I laid on the couch in a sexually frustrated mess. I wanted him so much, but he was right. Did I want him because we connected sexually or because I wanted him? I wasn’t sure, and until I figured that out, he was right, we needed to take this slow.
Eric
I got into my truck and slammed the door. It took everything in me not to strip her shorts off and fuck h
er. God, I wanted her so bad. My cock was aching behind the zipper of my jeans. I knew she wanted me. I could feel it in the way her body shook when I touched her. I could smell her arousal. But dammit, that wasn’t enough. I wanted more, so much more than just twisting up the sheets. I wanted her to want me for me, and not the orgasms I could give her. There was no doubt that she was attracted to me. She was writhing under my touch.
I slammed my fist into my steering wheel and took off. If I didn’t leave now, I would change my mind and go back in and fuck her. That wouldn’t help either of us. I drove home, determined to make my aching cock shrink to a normal size. But I knew that wouldn’t happen. Not as long as I was thinking about the woman back there, laying on the couch looking like every man’s dream.
I hit the brakes hard when I got home, barely shutting off the truck before I got out and marched up the steps of my front porch. I needed a fucking shower, and everything that went with it. I shoved the screen door open and stormed through.
“Hey-“ Joe started.
“Shut the fuck up, asshole,” I ground out.
“Ooh, someone’s salty.”
I turned and walked over to him, grabbing him by the shirt and slamming him against the wall. “You and I made a deal. Remember that?”
“You were serious about that?”
“Do you want a fist in your face?”
“Damn, fine.” He rolled his eyes and sighed. “Someone’s grumpy,” he corrected himself with air quotes. “So, woman problems? Did quiche-girl leave you high and dry?”
I slammed him back again, and this time his head bounced off the wall. “Ow! Okay, okay. I get it. No more fun talk. Only boring, old people talk.”
“And?”
“And no speaking about your bae.” I growled and was about to punch him when he held out his hand. “Sorry! Your woman. Geez, don’t fucking punch me.”
“Just for that, you’ve added two more months to your sentence.”
“What? You can’t do that! You can’t make me speak the way you want for three months!”
“Watch me.”
I turned to leave, but he just wouldn’t give in.
“You don’t own me, fucker. I’ll talk however I want, and there’s not a fucking think you can do about it, Hunty.”
I slowly turned, my eyes taking on a maniacal gleam. He just had to keep on pushing. Hell, I was horny and needed to release some tension. His face was as good as anything else. I swung at his cocky grin, getting him right in the jaw. He turned with the hit, grasping at his face as he looked up at me in shock.
“What the fuck?” he shouted.
“Now it’s four more months. Fuck with me again, and I’ll make you pay.”
“You can’t just keep beating me up. Eventually, I’ll fight back.”
I quirked my lips at him. “Remember what we did to Derek after we found out he screwed the math teacher?”
His face paled slightly.
“Do we understand each other?”
He nodded and wisely didn’t say anything else.
I stormed upstairs and tore my clothes off. My cock was in literal pain right now. I didn’t even bother with the shower. I grabbed some lube and slowly worked it over my cock. I groaned and started stroking. God, I could still smell her. I wanted to taste her and feel those pretty pussy lips quiver when I licked her. I started jacking myself harder, my breathing coming out in erratic bursts as I thought of the erotic sounds she made as I rubbed my cock against her pussy.
I shot off in my hand, shouting out as my hand filled with my cum. I had to lean against the bed to steady myself. The door flung open behind me and Joe stepped in, only to hold his hand up in front of his eyes.
“Whoa! What the fuck? I thought you were hurt.”
I smeared my cum on my shirt and then yanked up my pants, fastening them in place. Then I took off my shirt and tossed it in the laundry basket.
“Get out of my room.”
“You know, a little warning next time.”
“You want me to tell you when I’m going upstairs to jack off? The shut door should have been enough.”
“You don’t have to tell me, but a little, hey, I need some alone time wouldn’t be out of the question.”
“I need some alone time? Do I look like a chick?”
“Fine, then say you need to do a manual override. Or you need to polish the banister.”
“What? Am I twelve?”
“Rotating the drive head. Shucking the corn. I could keep going.”
“Please don’t.”
“Fine, but the next time you come up here to yank the chain, you better find some way to let me know so I don’t walk in on that white ass again.”
“Or you could just find your own damn house and I wouldn’t have to worry about you walking in on me at all.”
“Cruel, man. Totally uncalled for. You’d miss me if I was gone.”
“About as much as I would miss the clap.”
He flinched slightly. “You…you don’t have that, right?”
“No!” I practically shouted. “Could you get the fuck out of here now?”
“Fine, but just to be clear, that was a shout of ecstasy and not pain? I mean, it sounded kind of bad.”
“Get the fuck out! Get out! Get out! Get out!”
He winced and shut the door behind him. I sighed and got into the shower to clean up. When I came out, there was a book sitting on my bed. I picked it up and sighed. The Student’s Manual of Venereal Diseases. I didn’t even want to know why he had that.
The rest of the week went better. I got off work in time to go make dinner for Kat, and luckily, there were no more interruptions. Every night was a little harder and harder to resist her. We ate dinner together and talked, sharing little tidbits of our lives, but when all was said and done, we ended up on the couch watching tv, and she was just a little too tempting to resist. I made sure to stay on my side of the couch, even when giving her a foot massage. I never took the same liberties with her as I had that first night. And though I could tell she was disappointed, she never pushed for more.
But tonight was different. Tonight, I was going to take her out on an actual date. I made reservations in town for dinner, but I had a feeling that was a mistake. Everyone would be staring at us, and it wouldn’t take long for the gossip train to start moving. But that was something I was going to have to start dealing with. I had been over to Kat’s every night this week, and even if we didn’t work out, they would still find out eventually about the baby. It was best just to rip the bandaid off.
I hurried down the stairs after checking the time on my watch. I was right on time for picking up Kat. I stopped in the downstairs bathroom to give myself a once over, even though I had just done that upstairs. I was worried. I wanted this to go right. The last time I took her out hadn’t ended so well. Things were better between us, but I didn’t want to jinx that.
“Whoa, where are you going? That’s more than a Netflix and chill,” Joe grinned. I glared at him and he quickly remembered our fight a week ago. “I mean, you look…nice.”
“I have a date with Kat.”
“Kat?” A grin split his lips. “So, Katherine now has a nickname. You two are getting pretty serious.”
I rolled my eyes. “We’re having a baby together. What did you expect?”
“Yeah, but this is like…serious.”
“No shit.”
“But a date…the last time you did that, you totally crashed and burned.”
“I’m aware.”
“And to go back for more…that’s like asking for another kick to the nuts.”
“She’s not like that,” I said irritatedly. “We got off on the wrong foot, thanks to you, but we’re working it out now.”
“You know, you should be thanking me. I should be the best man at your wedding. Just think, if I hadn’t gotten you that date, you never would have met quiche-girl.”
“You got me a date with a woman that ended up going home with anot
her man.”
He shrugged. “Thank your lucky stars that you didn’t end up with that one. Not exactly wife material, if you know what I mean.”
I was about to walk out the door, but stopped with my hand on the doorknob. I slowly turned, giving him the most sinister look I could muster. “You told me she was exactly my type.” His mouth gaped as he realized his mistake. “You told me I would have a great time and she was just what I needed.”
He scratched at the back of his head. “There was…and the bar…”
I slowly walked toward him and he backed up wisely. “I’m grateful that I met Kat and that I have this baby on the way, but this isn’t how I would have chosen to go about it. You fucked with my life all so you could get laid?”
“I didn’t tell you to impregnate her!”
“You had me meet her at a bar. And I don’t even drink!”
“Hey, I didn’t tell you to do shots with the woman. Besides, like you said, you’re happy now. No need to kill off your last remaining brother.”
“I have plenty more brothers.”
He swallowed hard. “Right, well…” His eyes moved around in thought as he tried to think up another excuse why I shouldn’t pummel his face in. “I can do your laundry for a week.”
“Yeah, that should make up for your stupidity.”
“And…I’ll make you breakfast in bed. I’ll even put a little flower in a vase for you.”
“Do I look like the type of man to eat breakfast in bed?”
“Look, I really think you’re getting too worked up over this. I mean, it’s not nearly as bad as the time I de-pantsed you in front of the whole school.” My face turned glacial. “Maybe I shouldn’t have brought that up.”
I took a deep breath and saw him visibly relax, his eyes slipping closed. I swung hard, dropping him to the ground with just one punch. He moaned and rubbed at his face. I smirked and headed for the door.
Katherine
God, I was nervous. I just wanted tonight to go well. This week had been hell on me and my hormones. I knew that I wanted this to be more than it was. I wanted to kiss him when I wanted, and I wanted to spend time with him more than just when I got home from work. I hated it that he left at the end of every night. And he always left early so I could get to bed. It was sweet of him, but irritating at the same time. I could still feel his body pressed down on mine. My body still throbbed in need whenever he came over. I had been a good girl the rest of the week, doing my best not to tempt him, but the gloves were coming off tonight. We had taken the time to get to know each other, and now it was time to get him into my bed again.
Maintenance Required: A small town romance (The Cortell Brothers Book 1) Page 16