by Abbi Glines
“Have you thought about double-teaming them? All that hotness taking over your body?”
“GOD! Chantel, no! I haven’t.”
She laughed loudly. “Well, I have. Sorry, but after meeting Mack’s identical match I started fantasizing.”
“Ugh, stop it. And Marty and Mack aren’t identical.”
Chantel cocked her eyebrow again. “Yes, they are.”
There was no use arguing with her. It was obvious they weren’t identical. But Chantel didn’t see past their faces.
“Are you really going to eat those brownies?” I asked thinking about how good they would taste.
“Yep! I starved for weeks to do that swimsuit shoot. I am splurging tonight.”
“Maybe I could take a couple to Marty,” I suggested thinking it gave me a reason to see him tomorrow.
“You can if I don’t eat them all.”
The doorbell rang preventing me from telling Chantel there was no way she was going to eat them all. Chantel’s eyes bulged. “Is that Mr. Sexy Twin?”
“He’s working tonight, but in case it is him, keep your naked ass in this kitchen.” I walked to the hallway and toward the entry. Thinking it could be Mack or Stone, I opened the door wondering why they’d stop by.
However, Marty stood outside our door. He was freshly showered, his hands in the front pockets of his jeans, and a smile on his face that made my heart flutter. I knew I was in trouble. I didn’t believe in love and romance. I’d watched my parents ruin lives in the wake of their drama and heartbreak with those words. But Marty . . . made me want to question it all.
Marty
GOD, I HAD MISSED HER.
The smell of her perfume was light but just enough to drive me crazy. After I’d gotten off work and planned this evening, my first thought had been to kick Mack out of the apartment and cook for her there. Unfortunately, every time I let me imagination run free I had her on the counter with her legs spread . . .
I shook my head to clear it. Wouldn’t help things to start thinking about that again. Instead, I had decided that going out to dinner was a better idea. Having her near me was all I needed. What we did with our time together didn’t matter.
I’d asked questions about her trip as we drove to the Barbecue restaurant I’d chosen because they had live music tonight. She didn’t sound like she had a good time in Miami, but it was work. I noticed from her tone when she spoke about her work, she didn’t seem to enjoyed modeling.
“I’ve wanted to try this place,” she said as we pulled into the packed parking lot.
The wife of one of the guys at the station manages the place and he had arranged to get me a booth reserved.
“Looks popular tonight,” she said.
“A local band that draws a crowd is playing tonight,” I told her as I opened the truck door and climbed out. I walked around the front of my truck to open her door, but she’d already opened it and was stepping out. I held out my hand out for her to take and she smirked at me as she did so.
“There might not be any available seats.” She glanced around the parking lot again. All of the spaces toward the building were taken and we were forced to park near the grass in the back.
“I’m sure all the tables are full except for a corner booth with a good view of the stage,” I replied with my own smirk this time. I could feel her studying me like she wasn’t sure what to think about that.
“Can you get reservations here?” She clearly didn’t believe that was possible.
“No, but I know a guy,” I replied giving her no more information.
Opening the door, the music and smell of barbecue greeted us. I held it open for Fiona to enter and followed her inside. Taking her hand in mine I threaded my fingers with hers and squeezed as I led her over to the hostess.
Leaning in so the girl could hear me, I told her my name and that Patsy had reserved me a booth. She nodded her head and grabbed two menus. “This way.” She flashed both of us a smile and turned to wade through the tables and people lingering about.
Fiona was taking in the restaurant, the crowd, and the band. She stayed close to my side and we followed the hostess to our back-corner booth. The booth curved slightly so the stage was clearly in sight, but it provided a bit of distance from the tables in front. There was no privacy. However, the booth wasn’t setup against another table like all the others.
“Enjoy, Roger is your server tonight and he’ll take your drink order shortly.” The hostess left us to peruse the menus in front of us.
Fiona had slid into the booth first and was near the wall. I scooted in beside her so we both had a view of the band. She was smiling at me, clearly impressed. “Who is it you know to manage this table?” she asked
“The manager is married to one of the guys I work with. He told me about tonight and said he’d get me a table if I wanted to bring you,” I admitted. “Although, I didn’t expect this kind of setup. When he said corner booth I didn’t know it was this perfect. I owe him one.”
Fiona looked pleased and I thought she was about to agree the table was perfect but she didn’t. Instead, she asked, “You told him about me?”
I wasn’t sure what she meant by that. I’d told most of the guys I worked with about her because I wanted them to understand why I was switching shifts tonight and the texting while I was working. Although they all texted when we weren’t on a run and it wasn’t something anyone ever saw me do.
“Yeah. I did.” I cocked my eyebrow and waited.
She was still smiling. “Oh? What did you say?”
I laughed. She was cute when she was being nosey. I leaned toward her and whispered in her ear, “That you were smoking hot and had legs for days.”
I studied her reaction and as expected she frowned. It was slight but made it clear she didn’t like that answer. Knowing that made me crack a grin so big it hurt my face. Fiona wasn’t vain. Another attractive quality.
I slid my hand over her right thigh and leaned in toward her. “I’m kidding,” I said watching as her frown eased. “I told him you were smart, fun to be around, and had me so tied up in knots waiting to see you again I was having difficulty concentrating.”
She turned to look at me and our noses were close enough they almost touched. “Seriously?” she asked. Her minty breath was warm against my lips. Teasing me. I’ve thought about those lips and how she’d taste. I’ve tortured myself with it. Now, here she was right in front of me. The sweetness so close.
I leaned in and brushed my lips against hers. “Yes,” I whispered.
“Oh,” she said breathlessly and her eyes fluttered closed as I pressed more firmly against her lips.
She opened her mouth slowly and I finally got to taste her. I was so close to the temptation I’d been thinking about. She moaned softly encouraging me to give her more. The crowd around us faded away and there was no one but us here. Nothing else mattered. Just this. Just her.
Fiona’s hand slid up my arm and I felt her small round nails gently glide against my skin before she gripped me tightly and inched closer. Lightheaded from my sudden crazed need, I pulled her to me. I wanted to feel more of her. The intoxication of her nearness was pounding like an addiction in my veins.
A second before I made the final decision to haul her onto my lap, a shadow came over us, reminding me we weren’t alone. I could sense someone standing in in front of our booth, blocking the lights from the stage and the crowded restaurant I had forgotten existed.
Easing away from Fiona, I broke the kiss and turned to find our server, looking amused as he stood there. Roger was written on his nametag.
“Sorry to interrupt but can I get y’all something to drink? Or an appetizer?”
My turned to Fiona and found her looking dazed and slightly confused. Biting back a smile I turned back to the tall lanky guy in front of us. “Just water for now. We need to look over the menu.” My voice was slightly husky.
He nodded and walked away, leaving us to ourselves again. There were a few
hundred people singing along with the band to their cover of Garth Brooks’ “Friends in Low Places”. My hand tightened on Fiona’s thigh as I watched her inhale deeply.
The color on her cheeks and the way she was trying to compose herself told me she’d gotten as worked up as I had. Touching her was gave me an instant jolt of adrenaline. She made me crazy to have more.
“I thought the night on the roof you would kiss me,” she said looking up at me finally. “Now, I’m glad you didn’t.”
Caressing the inside of her thigh with my thumb I waited for an explanation, but she said nothing.
“Why?” I asked.
She ducked her head to hid the grin on her swollen lips. “Because I’m not sure I could have trusted myself to react properly.”
“Does that mean you’d have stripped off your clothes and begged me to take you right there on the roof?” I teased. Although the image of us naked and fucking on the roof had been one of my most coveted thoughts over the past few days.
She laughed and nodded. “Yes. That’s what it means.”
I sighed loudly. “Damn, I wish I had known that then.”
She laughed louder and hit my arm. I snaked my arm behind her and began tracing circles on her bare shoulder.
“What would you like to drink?” I asked before Roger returned.
“Water is good,” she said.
“Then we better decide on food before Roger gets back.”
She nodded. Small chill bumps appeared on her arms as I continued to gently trail my fingertips over her skin. I wanted to touch her. Stopping seemed impossible, like a punishment I didn’t want to inflict on myself.
I barely glanced at the menu. My attention was focused on the lifting of her chest as she breathed and the way she leaned into my touch. The way it was affecting her was more fascinating than the food options in front of me.
When Roger returned, I waited for her to order then I read off the first thing that sounded okay and added a soda. Food wasn’t important right now. Thankfully, he left us and the band chose a slower song. The people around us sat down and the sound in the room decreased some. I didn’t mind leaning in to talk to her or to hear her speak. The sound level gave me reason to get closer to her.
“Are you going to eat all that?” she asked.
“Eat all of what?” I wasn’t sure what she was talking about.
Her smile spread across her face. “You ordered the Smokehouse Taster. It feeds two to three people,” she explained.
I nodded slowly as if I knew this all along. I was so distracted by Fiona that I didn’t read the description of my choice, I just ordered the name under the first picture I noticed. I wanted Roger to walk away. “Maybe. I could be starving. I’m a growing boy.”
Fiona bit her bottom lip and the amusement in her eyes flashed brightly.
“Okay. I might have been distracted,” I admitted what she already knew.
“I was distracted, too, but I managed to order a meal I will be able to consume on my own.”
“Good,” I replied. “It seems I’ll need you to help me with mine.”
Fiona
THE BAND WAS GOOD AND the food was delicious. Sitting this close to Marty was intoxicating. After that kiss, I had been desperate for more. Listening to the band, eating the meal, it was all nice, but I was anxious to leave. I wanted to be alone with Marty to do more than kiss. I never knew kissing could be like that. That one kiss could make you crave more and make you a little crazy.
Marty seemed to experience the same thing. He kept touching me and making me want more. His fingertips skating across my skin made everything else pale in comparison. When he paid the bill, tipped the server, and stopped by to thank, Patsy, the lady who had reserved the booth, I felt like a child on Christmas Eve.
Walking out to his truck, he reached for my hand again and my heart rate accelerated. This was new to me. It scared me and was thrilling at the same time. I never wanted it to end and I wanted it to have never begun. Because I knew that for the first time in my life a guy could hurt me. After a lifetime of my father doing nothing but causing pain, I had built a wall around myself. One that was easily maintained until Marty had walked into my world.
All those romantic sayings that experiencing love is better than losing someone and that it was a risk everyone should take. I always thought they were stupid. The pretty words were made up to play on people’s emotions.
Now, I wasn’t so sure.
Marty led us to the passenger side, and I waited expecting him to open the door. Instead, he placed his hands on my waist and gently pressed my back against the cold metal. His eyes were hooded. We were so close I could feel the heat from his body and smell his clean scent. My pulse spiked, and I inhaled a sharp breath.
“I can’t wait any longer,” he said almost apologetically, groaning before his body pressed unrelentingly against mine. His heat seeped into me making me quiver with need. His mouth covered mine and the mind-blowing talent that he’d unleashed on me inside turned up a notch.
I was clinging to him trying to hold on as my mind and body became so wrapped up in Marty I forgot where I started and he began. Getting close enough wasn’t possible. I wanted to crawl all over him. Bite him, lick him, taste more. The ferocious attraction startled me, but I had little time to accept my shocking reaction. I just accepted it and held on.
Marty’s hands found the hem of my skirt and jerked it up quickly. His hands slid over my bottom before he slid his fingers under my satin panties to cup my bare skin and squeezed hard enough to make me cry out in pleasure.
When he lifted me, I instinctively opened my legs and wrapped them around his waist. He pressed me against the truck again, lining his hardness up with my softness. With only the thin covering of my panties separating me from the rigid edge under his jeans I gasped and had to break the kiss long enough to take a deep breath.
“Oh God,” I said, gasping and trying to trying to gain for some form of control.
Marty buried his face in the curve of my neck and his breathing was also sporadic. “I can stop,” he said not lifting his head but pressing a kiss to the tender skin.
I shook my head. “No.” I exhaled.
I let my head fall back on the truck and he began kissing my collarbone and taking bites of my skin like I’d imagined doing to him. His tongue traced the area between my breasts and then he rocked against me giving us the friction where our bodies met. I sucked in a breath and wanted to beg for more, but his hand moved and a finger slowly worked its way into the wetness he’d created.
“AH!” escaped from me and he began working his finger in a way that could only be described as magical. I whimpered as the build of a promising orgasm drove me further.
“Your face.” His voice was deep and husky. “Most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
I wasn’t sure if he was telling me I was beautiful or if my reaction was. I didn’t care either. I just wanted his finger to plunge deeper into me and give me the explosion I felt coming my way.
“That’s it,” he said shifting me and lifting his thigh to rest my bottom on it while he shoved the satin covering me to the side and pressing his palm against me. I wanted his fingers back inside me, but the warmth from his hand there was equally amazing. Applying more pressure, he turned his hand and then three fingers filled me as the heel of his hand massaged my clit. The dual action only took a moment to toss me into the orgasm I’d been clawing toward.
“MARTY!” I screamed his name and grabbed onto his arms jerking against him not caring if anyone heard or saw me. In those electrifying seconds, this was all that I cared about. Riding the wave after wave of perfection.
His kiss on my neck was gentle. His fingers eased out of me and he carefully straightened my panties before lowering my skirt and holding me against him as he set me on my feet. As if sensing I couldn’t stand alone he held me close. I leaned on him as my breathing returned to normal. He had been focused solely on me and not his own pleasure. That
was another new experience. It seemed Marty would show me a world I didn’t know existed.
One where love could exist and possibly be real.
I ran my hand through his hair at the nape of his neck. I didn’t want to move. I could stay like this with him forever. It was safe here. Warm. Like nothing I’d ever known.
“I’ve never met anyone like you,” I said breaking the silence.
“Good.”
I giggled and he held me tighter.
No more words were needed. We stood in the moonlight with the noise from the band in the distance. The smell of barbecue wafting by. It was as if we had been placed in a perfect moment.
Heartbreak wasn’t something I would think about. I couldn’t imagine Marty ever hurting me. He was genuine. He was a man so unlike my father I had a hard time trusting he was real.
“Don’t disappear,” I said knowing my words might sound silly.
“I won’t,” he responded like it was a promise.
“I want to trust you.” I wanted him to understand me.
“You will,” he assured me.
I leaned back and lifted my gaze to meet his. I knew it was too soon to fall in love. Although I’d never experienced falling, I knew it took time. I also knew that whatever I felt for Marty was more than lust. It was more than appreciation or admiration and more than liking. It was more than need. Marty had consumed me. So easily and so quickly.
Marty
IN LIFE, YOU ARE FACED with the past eventually. Once I had hoped for it. Prayed for it. Waited for it. Now that it was here, I wished like hell it would go the fuck away. Because that dream was gone. The flame wasn’t just dimmed, it was extinguished.
Mack stood at the door staring at me with wide eyes that held the same “Oh shit” expression I knew was painted across my face. The figure behind him in the doorway peered at me over his left shoulder. Eyes I knew well. Eyes that had haunted me. Eyes I’d forgotten about since Fiona’s entrance into my life.
“Seems I found a visitor outside when I went to get the mail.” Mack was wearing nothing but his sweats. It was early and I was leaving for work in an hour. Cooking breakfast and taking a tray back to my room to enjoy with the beautiful woman in my bed had been my plan.