The Way He Looks at Me [What Are Friends For 4] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Rita Sawyer

  Now that she was completely satisfied, she turned her focus to Blue. She tugged from the base to tip, smoothing her thumb over the silky head. The way he pushed his hip forward urged her to make the movement over and over again. He groaned as he tugged the torn shirt from her pocket and covered his cock just in time to stop her from making a gooey mess on both of them. He was such a gentleman to let her go first and keep things clean. Karen would be the first to admit she didn’t have tons of practice at this sort of thing, but she didn’t think most guys would be so…nice.

  Karen wasn’t sure what to say to him when he came out of the bathroom. If there was some kind of etiquette for things like this, she had no idea what it was. “Thank you” just didn’t seem to fit the bill. She grabbed the pen on his desk and took the coward’s way out. After writing a quick note telling him she’d call him tomorrow and leaving her number, she bolted. It only took a quick nod toward the door to get her friends moving. A quick good-bye to Tanya and they were out of there.

  * * * *

  Blue wasn’t sure if Karen left her purse behind by accident or not, but it gave him the perfect opportunity to go see her. Of course, in order to bring it to her, he needed to know where she lived or worked. Strangely he hadn’t felt an ounce of guilt when he dumped the entire contents on his couch. The leopard-print wallet that had “hussy” written in rhinestones made him laugh, since she was the farthest thing from being one. There was a mini pack of tissues, some breath mints, an e-reader like the ones he’d bought for his sisters, a set of keys, a digital camera, and a little makeup bag. All in all, not much for him to feel guilty about looking at.

  He opened her wallet, and a strip of plastic holding at least two dozen pictures popped out. It reminded him of a snake ready to pounce. Blue couldn’t resist looking at them. The first one was of Karen with an older woman wearing a bright-red, flowered hat. There were a few with her and her friends. Some of her friends Lainey, Dianne, and Amy with guys he hoped were their boyfriends, since they were in some serious lip locks. There was one of Amy with a group of rough-looking guys he’d hate to run into alone on a dark night.

  The one constant in all the pictures of Karen was her smile. Even in the pictures you could tell she wasn’t aware were being taken, it was there. He looked at her license, not surprised to see she was smiling there, too. Among the other things he found was a library card, three credit cards, thirty-six dollars, and a strip of three condoms. Now that was an interesting little surprise. Blue’s lips curved up into a smile as he plucked them out and held them up. Through the clear packaging he could see they were yellow, blue, and red.

  He was glad she was ready for any situation that might come up, but just the knowledge that she had them was going to drive him crazy. He tucked them back in and pulled her license out from behind the protective plastic. In most people’s opinions, it was probably too late to go to her house now, but Blue figured two a.m. was as good a time as any. He was man enough to admit he was hoping they could continue their earlier conversation without any interruptions.

  Not giving himself time to rethink his plan, he stuffed everything back into her purse and headed for the door. By the time he reached his truck, he was already going over what he was going to say when she opened her door. He tossed the black bag on the seat beside him and briefly thought about calling and telling her he was on his way. Blue dismissed the idea. and instead, he spent the drive imagining what she’d be wearing when he got to her place.

  His imagination was pretty vivid, and by the time he made the forty-five minute drive—which he’d managed to make in thirty minutes—he jumped out of the car. The quiet neighborhood was full of little cottage- and bungalow-style houses. In contrast to his spacious apartment, he figured her place would make him feel claustrophobic. Blue was halfway to the door before he realized he’d left the purse in the truck.

  It didn’t long for him to backtrack and grab it. He was glad to see that unlike most houses on her street, hers still had a few lights on. Blue knocked on the door and instantly heard noise on the other side. The door opened just enough for him to see Karen peek over the chain.

  “You do know that chain wouldn’t stop anyone who really wanted to get in?” He tempered the scolding with a smile.

  “I checked the peephole first.”

  “So if you knew it was me, then why the chain?”

  “I’m not sure. I guess I wanted to see why you’re here before I let you in.”

  “So you’re going to let me in at some point?”

  “Maybe. First I’d love to know how you found out where I live.”

  Blue lifted her purse from by his side, letting it dangle on his index finger.

  “How did you get that?” She seemed genuinely surprised to see the bag hanging between them. “I thought I left it in Amy’s car.”

  “I found it behind the bar. Tanya said it belonged to one of you. A quick look inside told me everything I needed to know.”

  The door slammed, only to reopen again. Karen reached out, grabbed a fistful of his shirt, and tugged him inside. She closed and locked the door behind him. Blue ran his gaze over her from head to toe. Her damp brown hair was slicked back. Even though her yellow shirt was loose, he could tell she was braless. The black pajama pants were loose, too, but they clung to her hips. When he reached her feet he couldn’t help but smile. The yellow, fluffy duck slippers had orange beaks and googly eyeballs.

  Of all the images he had concocted, this wasn’t even in the running, but it was cute. She didn’t have on any makeup as far as he could tell. Added to the silly slippers it made her appear a lot younger than the twenty-eight years her license claimed her to be.

  “You must have lied about your birth date and your weight on your license.”

  “What?” Her question was more of a squeak.

  “According to the little piece of plastic, you’re closing in on thirty and some fool said you’re one hundred and seventy-five pounds.” He shrugged and smiled. “You don’t look a day over twenty-five, and I’ve had my hands on you, so I find it hard to believe you weigh more than one hundred and fifty pounds. And I’d bet that’s on the high side.”

  “Did you memorize my stats along with my address?” Blue figured she was trying to sound flip, but with the pink tinge on her cheeks, he’d say he embarrassed her.

  “Yes, but other than brown hair, brown eyes, and you being five-nine, I think it’s a pack of lies.”

  She laughed and gave a slight shake of her head. “With all this flattery, I’d think you were trying to get in my pants, but since you were already there tonight, you must be after something else.”

  “So cynical. I was just doing the right thing and returning your bag.”

  “So if I said thanks and sent you on your way, that would be okay with you?”

  He nodded. “I admit it would be a strike to my ego, but I’d go. I understand that it’s late, and you need to be up early for work.”

  “Good to know.” She walked over and laid her hand on his chest right above his heart, which picked up speed. “I wonder if I ordered you to get naked and into my bed would you still be so considerate?”

  “Well, you wouldn’t have to twist my arm.”

  She didn’t say anything else. She took his hand and led him down the hall to her bedroom. He glanced at the pictures lining the walls along the way. The bedroom was bigger than he expected. Maybe it was the light-pink walls or the mirrors hanging across from each other that made it feel that way? Her bed was covered in zebra print. From the pillows to the sheets and comforter, it was stripes galore. Not for the first time, he considered that this sexy schoolteacher might be hiding a wild side.

  He pulled her into his arms and covered her mouth with his. Her arms went around his neck, and he lifted her off her feet. He carried her to the bed, losing her slipper along the way, and the rest of her clothes followed damn quick. Blue couldn’t get her naked fast enough. Once she was, it was almost more than he could stand. His di
ck was so stiff he had trouble getting his pants undone. The way she watched him strip didn’t make it any easier.

  Blue joined her on the bed, and she pushed him onto his back and straddled him. His cock was pinned between them. She moved her hips back and forth, coating it with her moist heat. Karen leaned across his chest and yanked open the nightstand drawer. When she sat back up, she held out a strip of condoms. She ripped one off and scooted down onto his thighs. Blue held his breath and fisted the comforter in his hands to keep from grabbing her.

  If she kept moving so fucking slow, he was going to lose his frigging mind. Her fingers stroked the length of him as she rolled the rubber down his shaft. Finally she was done and poised over him. It took everything in him not to surge upward. He wanted to let her take this at her own speed. She lowered herself onto him with a smile. Her nails dug into his chest as she began to move, first up and down, then rocking back and forth. Blue slid his hands up her thighs, gripping her ass and helping her to find a rhythm.

  He was close to coming, but he wanted her to go first, or with him. Blue couldn’t take it anymore. He held her tight against him and rolled them over, his cock staying lodged firmly within her. Blue held most of his weight off her while he drove in and out of her pussy. Her moans matched his grunts as he took them both over the edge. He collapsed beside her for a second.

  “Bathroom?” She pointed, and he left the bed wondering just how many condoms she had.

  Chapter Five

  “Are you sure I can’t tempt you into ditching your plans?”

  “Sorry, no. These are the kind of plans that can’t be rescheduled. How about a late breakfast tomorrow?”

  “I’ll take it.” Karen swore she could hear the smile in his voice. “I will call you later.”

  “Bye.” She hung up the phone with a laugh.

  Blue ended most of his calls that way. Karen wasn’t sure if it was supposed to be a threat or a warning. Since he spent the night—more like morning—at her house on Tuesday, he called her at least once a day. Usually around ten, right before she went to bed. Due to their schedules, she hadn’t seen him since then, and she missed him. She’d waffled for the past few days on inviting Blue to go with her to her cousin Sheila’s daughter Hailey’s birthday party.

  In the end, she decided it was too soon to introduce him to her family. She was going to have enough explaining to do about why she was driving a borrowed car. Hers was apparently about to undergo restoration, even though she hadn’t come to that decision on her own. Amy’s father and brothers had made the call. They gave her plenty of good solid reasons why she should do it, so she finally gave in. Amy’s dad agreed that the car was a classic. He assured her the frame and body were both solid enough that the only real rebuild would be the motor.

  Until they were done, he’d insisted she drive the spare sedan they used for clients at no cost. She felt a little guilty about it, so she was sticking close to home, trying to put as few miles on it as she possibly could, but there was no way she was going to skip the party. Hailey was the closest thing she had to a niece, and they were best buds. Karen looked over at the present sitting on her counter. The colorful wrapping paper and bow were sure to make any little girl smile. Of course, the gift inside was really going to knock her socks off.

  Karen grabbed the present and headed out the door. She spent the two-and-a-half-hour ride to her cousin’s singing with the radio and thinking about Blue. If she’d been free today, what would they have done? He opened the bar around one, so it wasn’t like they could have spent the entire day together. Karen wasn’t about to sit at the bar and stare at him all night while he worked. She wasn’t into self-torture. And watching him move behind the bar confident and totally hot would only remind her of how he had every reason to be so self-assured.

  The man knew how to use his body in and out of bed equally well. Blue had blushed when she complimented him on his prowess, but she meant it. She pulled her car into Sheila’s driveway and just sat there for a few minutes. A quick glance at the rest of the cars parked around her told her the rest of her family was already inside. The urge to leave before anyone spotted her and go see Blue came on suddenly, but she squelched it and forced herself to get out of the car.

  “Auntie Karen,” Hailey screamed, and Karen turned around just in time to catch the five-year-old bundle of liveliness that threw itself at her.

  She scooped her up and spun her around. “Oooh, I’ve missed you so much.”

  “We’ve been waiting for you.” Karen lowered Hailey to her feet. “Mommy said we can’t cut the cake and no presents until you got here.”

  “You poor thing.” The little imp nodded at Karen’s mock pity.

  “And know what?” Karen shook her head. “I think it wiggled.”

  “I don’t think I want to eat a cake that wiggles.” Karen deliberately misunderstood.

  “No, silly.” Hailey shook her head and laughed. “I think one of my presents wiggled.”

  “Well, we better get in there.”

  Hailey grabbed her hand and started pulling her toward the house. “Wait, don’t you want me to get your present out of the car?”

  Hailey let go and nodded. “That’s not your car.”

  “No. My friend Amy has my car. Her daddy is fixing it for me,” Karen explained

  “Okay. Wow, is that my present?” she squealed, her eyes going wide.

  “Hmm…Is there another little girl around here having a birthday?”

  “Nope.” She shook her head, and her long, brown, loopy curls bounced around her head.

  “Then I guess it’s all yours.” Karen did her best to keep from dropping the present on Hailey as she unexpectedly dove against her legs, but she ended up bopping her on the head.

  Hailey just laughed and ran for the house. As she followed, Karen wondered if she’d ever had that much energy. A little over five hours later, she came to the conclusion that no one had that much energy. Not even Hailey and her new wiggly puppy, Bow. The two of them had finally run out of steam and crashed. Karen stared at the pair who napped on a blanket spread under the protective branches of the huge weeping willow tree in the yard. Bow, so named because she’d been wearing a big polka-dot bow around her neck, was an adorable Yellow Lab.

  The way she cuddled up to Hailey and hadn’t left her side all day only reminded Karen how quickly a strong bond could develop between two people who had just met. She’d been trying to tell herself that what was going on between her and Blue was nothing more than fun, but deep inside there was no denying she knew there was more to it. It had started the second Blue focused his intense arctic stare on her, the one that for some odd reason had soothed her nerves and piqued her desire. She had no idea if he had the same effect on other women, but she was damn sure no other man had it on her.

  After saying her good-byes, Karen started the long drive home. There was a stack of tests she needed to grade, but she’d probably do it after her breakfast with Blue. Tonight she would most likely curl up on her couch with a good book and a glass of wine. So what if she was becoming the boring schoolteacher holed up on a Saturday night? Maybe she could call the girls and see if anyone wanted to go out to a movie? That late in the day, she figured they all had plans. A book it was, she decided, but when she reached the exit that would take her to Blue’s place she found herself taking it.

  “What the fuck am I doing?” she sighed.

  It only took her about fifteen minutes to reach the bar. She wasn’t surprised that the parking lot wasn’t full yet since it was a little after six thirty. She parked her car, got out, and crossed the lot in long strides. Now that she was there, she was going to make the best use of her time. As she entered, she spotted Tanya behind the bar alone. Karen headed toward her, scanning the room for Blue. She didn’t see him anywhere.

  “Hey, Karen.” Tanya smiled as Karen took a seat. “You here to see Blue?”

  “Yeah.”

  “He didn’t mention you were coming.”

>   “It’s kind of a surprise. Is he in the kitchen?”

  “Nope,” a young girl carrying a tray said as she came through the swinging door.

  “Debbie, this is Blue’s friend, Karen,” Tanya said.

  “Where?” Another young girl dashed through the door. “Hi, I’m Paula.” She held out her hand, and Karen shook it. “I’m Blue’s youngest sister. So you’re the one that has Blue so strung out.”

  It wasn’t a question as much as it was a statement. One Karen didn’t know how to quite respond to. In a way, she got a small thrill at the thought of him missing her, since she’d been yearning to see him, too. But strung out was a bit harsh. Especially that soon in their relationship, if that’s what you called the thing between them. Hopefully Paula was just being dramatic.

  There was no sign of him anywhere, so maybe it was a wasted trip. His sisters seemed to be running things just fine without him. Sure, it was still early, and there wasn’t much of a crowd, but Karen guessed from the way they were handling things they could have kept it smooth as silk even if the place was packed.

  “So Blue’s not here?”

  “He’s upstairs taking a much-needed shower—” Tanya managed to say before Paula took over.

  She quickly launched into the explanation of why Blue needed a shower. It seemed there had been a small accident in the kitchen. They had been making a batch of Blue’s special BBQ sauce, which they claimed everyone loved. Blue had gotten a bit distracted and bumped into Debbie, who had bumped into Paula, who somehow doused Blue with almost a gallon of apple cider vinegar. But Blue just needed to get out of the kitchen and go take a shower. Paula assured her no one had been at fault and no one had been hurt. From her rapid-fire speech and smile, Karen got the impression Paula was a bit on the dramatic side, and that this accident hadn’t been much of an accident at all.