Maintenance Required: A small town romance (The Cortell Brothers Book 1)

by Giulia Lagomarsino

  By the time my doorbell rang, I was a mess. I knew I was going to make an ass out of myself. I was a bundle of nerves. I just wanted this to work so badly. Which was ironic considering the way we started out. It was him who had wanted us to get together, and I had shoved him away. Now, he was taking it slow and I was the one that couldn’t keep it together.

  I swung the door open and took a deep breath as I took in his beautiful form. He hadn’t worn a suit this time, and I was a little shocked by that. Then again, maybe he was just loosening up a little. His jeans hugged his legs just perfectly and that white button down hung just above his crotch, where I could still see the bulge in his pants. I swallowed past my desire and dragged my eyes away from his crotch. He had a slight smile on his face, but his eyes were roaming over my body too, taking in the curves from the tight wrap dress I wore. I figured I wouldn’t be able to wear it much longer. Then I would start showing and this would no longer be sexy.

  “You look amazing, Kat.”

  “Thank you. So do you.”

  He ran a hand over the scruff of his beard and sighed. “You’re making it hard to take you out to dinner.”

  “We could stay in,” I suggested.

  He huffed out a laugh, shaking his head. “No, I promised you dinner. We’ll figure out dessert later,” he said in a low growl. He reached in and grabbed my hand, pulling me toward him. I stumbled into him, but then his lips crashed down upon mine and my body melted against his. His tongue slipped inside my mouth and his hand trailed up my back until he had a firm grip on my hair. My knees started to shake and my lady parts started quivering. And just when I thought we might take this to the next level, he pulled back and shook his head.

  “That wasn’t a good idea,” he murmured, just inches from my lips

  I wiped at my lipstick and frowned. “Bad kiss?”

  “Good kiss,” he grinned. “Very good kiss.”

  He reached up and swiped at my smeared lips with his thumb. “Gorgeous,” he murmured under his breath.

  I fixed my dress, sure that my boobs were about to pop out or something. When I was all set, he took my hand in his and led me down to his truck.

  “So, where are we going this time?”

  “Tria.”

  “In town?” I asked, a little baffled by that.

  “Yep.”

  “You know that as soon as we walk in there-“

  “The whole town’s going to know about us? I’m aware.” He yanked the truck door open and then stared at me. “I also don’t care. And frankly, I like everyone knowing that you’re with me.”

  My heart did a little happy dance that set my stomach fluttering. He held my hand as I stepped into his truck, and then shut the door behind me. I could see now that Eric did have game. It just took a while for it to come out. He wasn’t overly confident when he talked to a woman. He just wanted to get to know her first. And I was that lucky woman. And now that we knew each other better, he knew exactly what he wanted and was going for it. I knew deep down that tonight was the start of something special.

  When we walked into the restaurant, as expected, half the town looked up at us in surprise. I didn’t know most of the people in here since I wasn’t originally from this town. But they all seemed to know Eric.

  “Who’s this pretty lady?” an older gentleman asked.

  “Gary, this is Katherine.”

  “Katherine,” he said, smiling at me. “Beautiful name. I’m Gary and this is my wife, Alma,” he said, gesturing to the woman across from him. “We’ve known Eric since he was a little kid. We live right down the road, in fact.”

  “Well, it’s nice to meet you.”

  “You should stop by sometime. Alma will make her famous biscuits and tea, and then we’ll tell you all about Eric when he was a kid.”

  “I don’t think that’s necessary,” Eric cut in, glaring at the man good-naturedly. “You’ll probably just tell her all the bad stories.”

  “Bad stories?” the old man scoffed. “Now, if we were talking about your brothers, I would have plenty to tell. You got the best one, here. Always kept his nose out of trouble and always a gentleman.”

  I wondered what Gary would think of Eric’s gentlemanly behavior if he knew what we were both thinking about for dessert. My cheeks flushed slightly at the thought. Eric squeezed my hand and said goodbye to Gary and Alma. I barely nodded with a smile as Eric pulled me away. Eric pulled out my chair and then pushed the chair in after I took my seat. When he sat across from me, I could see the humor in his eyes.

  “Shut up,” I admonished.

  “If I didn’t know any better, I would think you were thinking some very dirty thoughts while we were talking with Gary.”

  I shook my head, but smiled at him. “I was thinking about how he said you were always a gentleman.”

  “And?”

  “Are you?”

  His face danced with humor as he stared at me. It was like the gloves had come off and our situations were reversed. When there was nothing on the table, I was confident and willing to take a gamble. But now that I knew exactly what I wanted, I seemed to have lost that confidence. Maybe it was because Eric was drawing this out, making me wait until he was sure we were both ready. Maybe it was because as time went on, he seemed to know exactly where this was going, while I was still questioning everything. Was he making me wait so long because he wasn’t sure about us still? Or had he changed his mind? Surely if he had, he wouldn’t be taking me out to dinner. Unless this was a pity date. He was taking his pregnant one night stand out for dinner, just to make sure she was fed. But the way he greeted me at the door made those thoughts immediately flee my mind. No, he was attracted to me alright, I just wasn’t sure if he was as sure as I was.

  “Your brain must be a fascinating thing to study,” he said, a beautiful smile on his face.

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Because I can tell you’re over there, analyzing every little thing that’s going on. You’re wondering what this date means. You’re wondering if I feel the same way you do. And most importantly…” He leaned forward and lowered his voice. “You’re wondering if I’m going to stay over tonight.”

  My heart thundered in my chest. “And?”

  “And you already know what this date means. I wouldn’t be here with you if I didn’t want there to be more between us. And based on the kiss I gave you, I’m sure you know exactly how I feel about you.”

  He didn’t say anything about the third. “And the other thing?”

  His phone buzzed in his pocket, but he didn’t break eye contact as he pulled it out. He barely glanced down at his phone before shoving it back in his pocket.

  “What do you-“ His phone buzzed again and he pulled it out, irritated this time. “Sorry.” He sighed and answered his phone. “What, Joe?…Yes, I’m with Kat….At Tria. How did you know?” He sighed. “That’s nice. Did you really need to call me about this?…Well, I’m trying to have a date…Whatever.”

  He hung up and slipped the phone back into his pocket.

  “Sorry about that. Apparently, as soon as we walked into the restaurant, it was all over the town Facebook page. He says we’re blowing it up.”

  “I didn’t realize that we were such a fascinating topic.”

  “Are you kidding? This is a small town, and people love to gossip about who’s dating who.”

  “Great.”

  “If it makes you feel any better, when you start to show, at least they won’t be questioning who the father is.”

  “I suppose you’re right.” Not that it made me feel that much better.

  “Now,” he said, pulling my chair right up against his. “What do you say we give them all something to talk about.”

  And then he wrapped his hand around my head and pulled me in for an earth-shattering kiss.

  He spun me around and shoved me up against the door just as I was about to put the key in. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, pulling him in closer. I could feel h
is erection pressing up against me, and then I heard the urgency of him trying to unlock the door. The door swung open and Eric caught me just as I was about to tumble backwards. He picked me up bridal style and kicked the door closed with a wicked grin on his face. He took the stairs two at a time and marched right to my room. I wasn’t sure he actually knew which room was mine or if he was just guessing.

  He laid me down on the bed, immediately covering my body with his. His kisses were urgent and demanding, but it was his hands that were driving me crazy. His roughened palm was gliding down my side until he hit the hem of my dress. His hand slid up my thigh and then squeezed my ass lightly. He broke the kiss, moving his lips down my throat until he was kissing down between the valley of my breasts. I was on sensation overload, ever so aware of his hand sliding under my panties and skimming over my mound.

  My breathing hitched from his touch, but his kisses kept me distracted. So many sensations rushed through me that it was hard to tell what I wanted from him right now. I spread my legs for him, moaning when his knuckles brushed over my clit. It seemed that Eric liked to take his time with every aspect of this relationship. He was drawing this out, teasing me and driving me crazy. I needed him. I wanted to feel his fingers on me and his cock inside me. When he pulled away and sat back to stare at me, I thought for a moment that he had changed his mind. But then he pulled me up and started pulling my dress over my head. His eyes narrowed as he took in my lace bra and panties. I watched as he swallowed hard, his jaw working as he fought for control.

  But I wanted him to lose control. I wanted him to not be a gentleman with me. I sat up and crawled over to him, slowly undoing the buckle of his belt. He sucked in a breath as my hands skimmed his waistline. I could feel his ab muscles clenching as I brushed against them. When I pulled off his belt, I glanced up at him and then tossed the belt across the room. His eyes didn’t follow, they just stayed locked on me and every move I made.

  My fingers moved to his shirt, slowly unbuttoning every single button. I pushed the fabric over his shoulders, making sure that I brushed my breasts against his chest as I shoved the shirt down his arms. As soon as the fabric was loose, his hands clamped on the backs of my upper thighs and he lifted me in the air, tossing me back on the bed. He pounced on me, kissing me hard and rubbing his erection against me.

  “Is that what you wanted, Kat? You wanted me to lose it?”

  “Yes,” I panted.

  He kissed me hard, his hand cupping my breast through my thin bra. When his thumb brushed over my nipple, I arched my back and cried out. I was so sensitive right now, but it felt amazing. He ground his cock against me, continuing to brush his thumb over my nipple. My thighs quivered and my whole body shook as my orgasm washed over me. I gripped onto his shoulders as I clenched my thighs together, but he didn’t stop teasing me, not until my body finally released and relaxed underneath him.

  He pulled back, staring into my eyes as he brushed my hair out of my face. The way he was looking at me was intense, like he needed me right now, but was trying to hold back. I slipped my hands between us and undid his pants, working them down his hips.

  “You need me, Kat?”

  “You know I do. You’ve been teasing me all week.”

  “Not teasing,” he murmured. “Just taking my time with you. I don’t want to screw this up with you.”

  God, I had been so blind. How could I be so stupid as to think that this man wasn’t right for me? He shifted away from me and pulled his pants off, stroking his hard cock before coming back to settle between my thighs. He pressed his lips to my neck, licking and sucking every inch of my skin. I spread my legs wide, begging for him to slide inside me, but he kept kissing my body. His fingers pulled at the cups of my bra and then his tongue was licking my nipples, sucking them into his mouth. I barely felt him undoing the clasp and sliding down the straps from my arms. I lifted my hips for him to slide off my panties, a thrill of excitement rushing through me that this was finally it.

  My pussy was throbbing as I felt him sliding his cock through my soaking folds. He was groaning, but never slid inside. He just kept sucking on nipples and driving me crazy. After one more jerk of his hips, he slid down my body and kissed my stomach, leaving a wet trail as he made his way to my throbbing clit. My hips jerked involuntarily when he blew on my pussy. My whole body broke out in goosebumps as I waited for his lips to find mine.

  I felt him spread my lips and then his tongue slid home. I cried out, jerking my hips up to meet his mouth. He gripped my hips and held me against his mouth as he tongue fucked me. Every moan felt like a ripple through my body. I was on edge and I couldn’t hold on much longer. I slid my fingers into his hair and pulled him tight against me and bucked my pussy against his mouth, needing everything he was willing to give me. Before I could come again, he moved up my body and kissed me as he pushed slowly inside me. My legs shook as he slowly entered me and my breathing was erratic.

  “Look at me, Kat.”

  I opened my eyes and stared at him as he pushed the rest of the way inside me. He slowly pulled out and then slammed back inside me. My body jerked back from the force of his thrust.

  “Wrap your arms around me, Kat.”

  I did as he asked and wrapped my legs around him also. He started moving faster, his hips hitting me hard with every thrust. My nails dug into his back unintentionally, but that only seemed to spur him on. His cock pulsed hard inside me and I could feel him growing fatter inside me. I was on the verge of another orgasm when I felt his finger rub against my clit. I gasped, my body tightening around him as my body broke apart. My eyes fluttered, but then he leaned forward and kissed me hard, his hands threading through my hair on either side of my head.

  “God, Kat,” he murmured against my lips. He gripped my hip and thrust in several more times before settling deep inside me. He was panting hard as he rested his forehead against mine. I could feel his hot breath kiss my face. My body wouldn’t stop shaking, and when I ran my fingers through his hair, I noticed that my hands were shaking just as bad as the rest of me. He kissed my forehead and then my nose, before kissing me softly on the lips.

  He slipped out of me and then pulled me against him. I was laying half on top of him, feeling his heart pound beneath my chest. I sighed, content with laying beside him the rest of the night. But after drifting off to sleep, I realized that Eric had no plans to let me sleep the rest of the night.

  Eric

  I was whistling as I walked into my house the next morning. I had to get changed and get to work. I knew I was running late, but I didn’t care. After an amazing night with Kat, I was in no rush to do anything. I had woken her up two more times last night and made love to her slowly. And while I liked to fuck hard at times, it was different with Kat. She was different. She was the wild one, and maybe she expected something different from me, but I wanted her to know that this wasn’t just fucking. It was so much more than that to me. And it was good.

  “Somebody didn’t come home last night,” Andrew grinned, pulling his earbuds out.

  “You know what? Nothing can bother me today. So, go ahead and talk in your weird vernacular or bug me about the fact that I didn’t come home. It doesn’t matter.”

  “Whoa, you…you really like this woman.”

  I laughed at him, clapping him on the shoulder. “Yeah, man. I really like her. I mean, I’m having a baby with her, but the rest is amazing.”

  “Shit.” He sat down in a chair at the kitchen table, staring at it dumbfounded. “Does this mean that I need to start looking for a new place?”

  “Why?”

  “Well, you’re sleeping with her. You’re…happy.”

  “Yeah,” I said slowly. “But she made it perfectly clear to me that she wasn’t moving in with me. I don’t know what’s going to happen down the road, but for now, I’d say you’re in the clear.”

  “Thank God. Just the idea of packing and then moving,” he said as if he had a lot of shit to move. “And then there’s the c
ooking on my own until I can find a woman to do it for me.”

  “Sorry, what?”

  “Well, I can’t do the cooking and cleaning on my own forever. I mean, I might survive for a little while, but eventually, I’ll starve and the apartment would be a mess.”

  “And you think a woman is just going to move in with you and take over those duties because she’s a woman?”

  “Well, yeah. I mean, it’s sort of built into their DNA or something.”

  I shook my head and laughed. “Man, I can’t wait until you meet a woman.” I changed my voice to sound like him. “Hey, babe, I thought we could Netflix and chill. I’m totally on fleek with you and I’m ready to clap back. But first, could you make me a sandwich and pick up my dirty clothes?”

  He stared at me for a minute, his mouth hanging open slightly. “You should never try to talk like that again.”

  “Oh, like you sound any better when you say it,” I shot back.

  “First, I do. Second, do you actually know what you’re saying?”

  “No, but frankly, nobody else does either, so I figure it doesn’t really matter.”

  “If you said that to a woman, she would run the other way.”

  I leaned across the table toward him. “Why do you think you’re still living at home and you haven’t had a steady girlfriend since high school?”

  “Hey!”

  I started whistling and walked out of the room. Like I said, nothing could touch me today.