His Kind of Wonderful (Sugar Bay #2)

by Kinsley Gibb

  “But Derek can’t know. Ever.”

  “Don’t worry, Joe. He won’t hear it from me.”

  Chapter Nine

  Dani opened the bathroom door and checked the hemline of her nightie. It wasn’t the one she would have chosen for a night of seduction but she couldn’t risk her brother catching her. She could already hear the blistering lecture she’d get if he saw her in a revealing nightie.

  The white eyelet baby doll nightie had ribbon straps and wasn’t sheer at all—completely tame in comparison to the revealing ones at the bottom of her drawer. The door to Anabelle and Derek’s room was closed. No light flickered under the door, for which she was glad. It wouldn’t do for her brother to catch her trying to seduce Joe.

  The evening had crawled by. Joe did his best imitation of a seething furnace and Derek shot her suspicious looks while she’d channeled her inner angel.

  Dinner had been awkward. The men had been mostly silent with the occasional grunt while Anabelle and Dani had carried the bulk of the conversation. Poor Anabelle hadn’t known what to make of the group. At one point Anabelle had asked Joe if he was ill. As an answer, he’d glared at Dani but Anabelle’s innocent question seemed to snap him out of his man period mood.

  From that point on, the conversation had improved, but still, he was by no means the charmer she’d grown used to. His mood puzzled her. He’d claimed he wanted her yet at the cusp of their experiment, his mood was dark and full of doom.

  It didn’t help that Derek played big brother to the hilt, eyeing Joe as if he were a stranger rather than his best friend. After dinner, the boys had disappeared while Dani and Anabelle had cleared and washed the dishes.

  The house had settled into silence punctuated by the occasional waves that rolled in. She’d been assigned Joe’s room for the night but headed in the opposite direction towards the living room. She assumed Joe would be there since Anabelle and Derek had taken the remaining bedroom.

  There was no sign of Joe. She was about to turn and head back when a shadow moved outside. The deck sliding glass doors were open and she moved to investigate when Derek opened his bedroom door and poked his nosy head out.

  “Good night, Dani,” he said pointedly.

  She gave him a tight smile and shifted her towel so it shielded her body. “Night Derek.”

  His sport shorts hung low on his hips as he stood outside his temporary room. He looked prepared to grow roots as he watched her hover. Joe appeared at the deck threshold and took in the scene. Dani felt a distinct zing at the way his eyes took in her short nightie. She shifted the towel so he could get a better view.

  “Hey.”

  “Hey yourself.” There was something incredibly delicious about a man fresh from his shower wearing nothing but a pair of low hung boxers. He gripped the doorframe and leaned forward. Her eyes caressed his impressive chest and well defined abs.

  The man was beautiful.

  He had the sort of perfection where she wasn’t afraid he was starving. There was definition without emaciation. She licked her lips, eager for playtime. But as she shifted her eyes lower Derek cleared his throat, reminding her of his presence, and killed the mood dead. She sighed and turned towards her assigned room, contemplating the logistics of selling her brother on eBay.

  ***

  “Derek, what are you doing?” The fan churned rhythmically above them as Anabelle adjusted to the strange new bed. Her husband lay unmoving beside her with his arms crossed behind his head.

  “Hush, sweetheart. I’m listening.”

  “Listening for what?”

  “For any telltale squeaking.”

  “What kind?”

  “The kind humans make when they’re sneaking around or up to no good—like doing the horizontal mambo, playing hide the salami, vertical jogging—that kind of squeaking.”

  Anabelle chuckled. “Joe’s a good guy. Dani is perfectly safe.”

  “Yeah, I know that. But I also know he wants Dani.”

  “Did he tell you?”

  “Not in so many words. Guys don’t dish about our feelings, sweetheart. We’ll talk about how hot a girl is but that’s about it. And frankly I’d rather eat dirt than hear my best buddy talk about how hot my sister is, so I don’t see that conversation happening anytime soon, but I know there’s something going on.”

  “You don’t sound bothered by that possibility.”

  “Nope.”

  “I don’t get it. If you wanted them to get together, why are we here?”

  “Because my sister is a pain in the ass stubborn mule, that’s why. If I say black, she’ll say white. If I say yes, she’ll say no. I know she likes him but if I say yes, I’m afraid she’ll—“

  “Got it, but you have to know if he has plans of that nature, he won’t do anything with you around.”

  “I know.” His grin was wickedly mischievous. “I’m just having a little fun with them.

  Anabelle shook her head and sat beside her husband in silence for a few moments, then snorted. “Hide the salami? What are you—Italian all of the sudden?

  Derek flashed his dimples—the same ones that brought her to her knees all the time. “Nope, but I’ll pretend if you want me to.” He wagged his eyebrows. “How’s about it baby? Up for a little role play with Tony?”

  “Tony?”

  “Yeah baby, Call me Tony. It’s a good Italian name.” He gave her his best ‘Joey’ head nod. “How you doing?”

  Anabelle giggled.

  “Whatcha think, sweetheart? Wanna play hide the salami with me?”

  Anabelle covered her mouth to silence her laughter but when he playfully leered at her she rolled away clutching her stomach.

  “Hey, pretty lady, don’t turn away. I got a little something to show you.”

  “Little?” She turned her head to meet his lecherous gaze.

  “Wrong word. I take that back. Mammoth. Gargantuan.” He half crawled, half lumbered over to her side of the bed. “How’s about it, pretty lady? Want to play with my gargantuan salami?”

  “Stop. My stomach hurts.” Tears of laughter seeped from her eyes.

  “Oh pretty lady. Let old Tony see where it hurts.” He rolled her towards him and cocked his head, as if contemplating a starting point. “Here?” He palmed her breast, massaging them. He plumped one then leaned down to nibble the tip. “Or here?” He slid a hand between her legs to the delta that melted at his touch.

  Anabelle’s giggles turned into sighs then quiet moans, and then loud moans. Before long the two of them lost the desire to be nosy and became occupied with a hot game of hide the salami.

  ***

  Dani covered her head with a pillow but the sounds of her brother getting it on with his wife still reached her. She tried another pillow, but it still didn’t help. If she added more, she increased the possibility of smothering herself, which defeated the point.

  Didn’t Derek know how thin the walls were?

  She threw her blankets off and stalked to the sliding glass door that led to the back deck. As quiet as she could, she unlocked the latch. Holding her breath, she slid the door open inch-by-inch. Based on the noises the newlyweds made, her brother wasn’t coming to bust her anytime soon. The gulf breeze raised goose bumps along her arms. She rubbed them for additional heat. Moonlight gave everything a pale glow and she made out Joe’s form in the middle of the swinging porch bed.

  “Go back to bed, Dani.” His voice was gruff and slightly muffled.

  “I can’t.”

  He pushed aside his blanket and leaned against a propped arm. “Why not?”

  “The walls are thin.”

  Joe gave her a questioning look, which she returned with a meaningful glare. Understanding finally dawned on him and he chuckled. “Guess your guard is taking a break for some personal time.”

  “Apparently.”

  She moved closer and he half sat up. The speed in which he moved startled her.

 
“Don’t come any closer, Dani.”

  She ignored him and stepped closer. She gasped at the sight of his near naked body wrapped in a thin blanket. As if propelled by a magnetic charge she moved closer.

  “Stop, Dani.”

  “Why?” She licked her lips and heard a groan. The sound was faint so she may have imagined it.

  “Because.”

  At last her knees bumped against the bed, shifting it. The ropes that held it aloft groaned but the incoming waves camouflaged the sound. A gust of wind flipped her nightie up and this time she knew she heard Joe groan.

  “Please, Dani. Go back inside.”

  With her eyes, she traced a visual path along his chest, which was lightly covered in golden hair, down to the happy trail that disappeared under the blanket. A large bulge tenting the sheet between his legs held her attention.

  “What if I don’t want to?”

  “Now is not the time to begin your research.”

  “Why not?”

  “Your brother is too close.”

  Dani shook her head. She didn’t think she could wait any longer. It seemed like forever. Waves of heat emanated from him. She reached out to touch him but he grabbed her wrist before she could connect.

  She looked into his shadowed face. “Just one touch, Joe.”

  Their gazes locked in battle before Joe released his hold. She brushed a hand along his chest. Her fingers grazed his hot skin. She played with the whirls of his chest hair and skirted his nipples before she skimmed closer and closer to the tip. The fierce look on his face when she lightly brushed the stiff peak thrilled her. She shivered. His body was so different from hers yet somehow similar. The need to explore their similarities and differences gripped her. She bent to lick his nipple. His groan pleased her so she sucked him deep into her mouth. She watched in satisfaction as he twisted and shuddered beneath her.

  “Fuck,” he muttered. His hand shot up and grasped behind her neck. “For research, right?”

  “Right.”

  He nodded and fell back. He tucked his hands under his head and let her explore. She grazed his other nipple and gave it the same treatment. The rigid muscles of his core went through detailed study next. Fascinated by the heat in his eyes, she lightly scored his flesh and traced a pattern along his abs. His muscles flexed and jerked with each touch. His scorching gaze seemed to warn her to tread carefully. Heedless of his warning, she circled his navel, and inched her way south with small nips and kisses. His fingers wrapped around her wrist like manacles, stopping her exploration.

  “Not this time, Dani.”

  She wanted to ignore him and press on. The massive bulge between his legs demanded her attention. They stared at one another, each willing the other to submit.

  Joe shifted his eyes to her lips and she licked them. Anticipation pulsed through her body. He crushed her mouth with a groan and she tasted blood. She must have made a sound of distress because, immediately, he gentled his touch.

  But still, it wasn’t a playful or teasing or a gentle getting to know you sort of kiss. It was aggressive and intense, filled with want and need. Willingly, she followed his lead and when he pulled back for a moment, she opened her eyes to meet his hot gaze. He brushed a thumb against her lower lip. It felt swollen and full. As if he understood, Joe lowered his head to kiss her once more and this time he took a more gentle approach. Taking his time, he sucked and laved and broke the pattern to nibble on her lower lip before thrusting his tongue deep in her mouth. He coaxed her to thrust and parry before capturing her tongue in victory. He shifted his body lower and nipped her neck. Joe maneuvered her until she lay half beside him, half under him.

  “We agreed this isn’t real, correct?”

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  He raised her hand high above her head and urged her to hold the rope. “Don’t let go.”

  Lowering his body, he nuzzled her breast through the thin nightgown. He mouthed her breast through the cotton and she arched into him and bit back a moan. He slipped the ribbon down her shoulder and lowered the neckline to bare her hard nipples. With his teeth, he scraped against the unbearably sensitive nubbin.

  “Joe,” she whispered, squirming with sensation. She wanted to hold him tight against her—to direct the pressure exactly where she needed and began to loosen her grip on the rope.

  He must have sensed her disobedience and lifted his head.

  “Nuh-uh, Dani. What did I tell you?”

  She bit her lip. Her body was wracked with need. Her nipples were wet from his mouth and glistened in the moonlight. She used her body to tempt him to continue what he was doing.

  “Don’t make me tie you up.”

  She froze at his command. The image of her tied to the bed while he tortured her with his mouth, lips and tongue made her heart pound.

  “I can see that topic is open for further exploration.”

  She remained silent.

  Joe lowered his head and blew hot air over her sensitive nipples.

  Dani groaned, closing her eyes. She shuddered as her nipples tightened further into painfully sensitive nubs. He chose that moment to rub his chin back and forth, the coarse hair abrading her delicate skin.

  “Ah. Joe.”

  “Hush, Dani. We can’t have your bodyguard coming out here, now can we?”

  She shook her head almost in desperation. He couldn’t stop now. He hadn’t done anything lower. She was ready to come from nipple play alone. She was wet down there and could smell her arousal. She knew he could too. In their bed play, the shifting had lifted her nightie and exposed her tiny bikini panties.

  “What’s this?” He whispered, fingering the elastic along her groin, brushing against her mound in the process.

  Moisture flooded her panties and she groaned.

  He shifted so his face nestled between her legs. His breath was hot against her thighs. His finger traced a line over her mound and down her seam then back up again. The action further defined to her wetness.

  “Very pretty.” He brushed a kiss to her. “I’ve always wondered what you wore under your jeans.”

  “You have?” She sounded breathless but that couldn’t be helped.

  “Every damn day. And when you wore billowy skirts, I prayed for strong wind.”

  She chuckled softly. “Well, now you know.”

  “I sure do.” He pulled her panties aside. The silky fabric was no deterrent. “But what I really wondered about was how good you would taste.”

  “Oh, fuck,” she muttered as he lowered his face and took a long lick.

  “I wish I could Dani but I can’t.”

  Her chest heaved from her desire. Dani glanced down and saw her exposed breasts and the wanton splay of her legs. A burst of modesty hit her and she attempted to close her legs.

  “Oh no, you don’t.” He moved so he was wedged between her thighs. “You’re not hiding this pretty pussy from me.”

  Dani’s face burned at his words. She fell back against the pillows and waited.

  The first touch of his tongue made her jump but the second made her moan. No man had ever done that to her before.

  “Delicious.”

  He laved up one side but didn’t touch the sensitive hood that yearned for his attention. With the flat of his tongue he laved down the other side. On and on the torture went before he took pity on the quivering mass and sucked it into his mouth. He tongued the hard flesh, alternating between feather light touches and firm licks until her body bowed and her mind and body splintered into a million and one particles, leaving her a very satisfied woman.

  So this was what a male induced orgasm was.

  After reading shelves of books where she had a hard time understanding the nuances of sex, she now got it. All that talk about drifting in a galaxy—true. She felt like she could float away.

  “Holy shit,” she muttered still struggling to catch her breath.

  Joe moved away but the sounds of hi
m shoving his feet in shoes caught her attention.

  “Joe?”

  “I need to go.”

  “What?” Still in a hazy fog, she didn’t understand his silence.

  And like a phantom of the night, Joe disappeared while she lay sprawled on the bed, well pleasured and alone.

  ***

  Joe walked into the cottage just in time for breakfast and caught sight of Dani bent over his vintage record collection. She wore short, boy shorts that exposed her long lean legs and a hint of her butt cheeks.

  From that luscious view he came to two conclusions—his morning swim hadn’t sufficiently numbed his body and Dani was put on earth to torture him.

  After his midnight run, he’d fallen asleep only to be awoken a few hours later by a hot dream featuring Dani on her knees in front of him. He’d dragged his sorry ass from the twisted sheets for his second run in the span of twelve hours. Then followed the run by a swim, extending it in hopes the cool water would numb a particularly lusty part of his body.

  Adding insult to injury, while Joe struggled with a walking hard on for the guy’s sister, Derek was secretly or not so secretly fondling his wife in the kitchen. The two cooed like lovebirds. Joe cleared his throat twice so they would quit already. Didn’t they know all that petting wasn’t helping his horny thoughts? What kind of friend did that to someone who wasn’t currently getting any?

  Derek had the nerve to shoot him a shit-eating grin. “Morning.”

  Joe grunted in response.

  Punk ass.

  He sat at the little table set for four and made a concentrated effort not to look towards Dani. Minutes later the others sat down to enjoy Anabelle’s French toast and bacon. Although he felt the weight of Dani’s gaze, he ignored it.

  In response, Dani brushed her fingers along his thigh under the table. Instinct made him bang his knee, shaking the table and spilling the orange juice. His friends gave him curious looks and Joe knew ignoring her had been a mistake.

  “Sorry. Muscle spasm.” He pretended to massage his knee under the table.