HOT MEN: A Contemporary Romance Box Set

by Ashlee Price

  “Why don’t you get on that chest of drawers? I’ve got a list of things for you to pick up for me from town later. When you’re done with the chest, check in with me and I’ll give you the list.” I used a dismissive tone of voice intentionally, and I could almost see her lip rising in a snarl as she passed me on her way out to the deck. Just before she shut the door, I heard a crash and swung about to see the coffee mug in splitters across the floor.

  “Oops,” she said coolly. “I’ll clean that up a little later.” As an afterthought she added, “If you’re thinking about shacking up with tool boy there, you’d better plan on getting fucked and dropped. He’s certainly not going to spend any time with you long term. As soon as you’re done paying him, he’s out of here. I mean, after all, you’re not really his type.” Then she was out the door, slamming it behind herself.

  God, but I hated drama. I felt like Melanie had just stabbed me in the chest, but I had to remember that she might be making a reference to Riker’s personality more than my physique. I was naturally defensive when I felt I been put down by a skinny girl. I knew it was silly; I had no doubt that he was attracted to me, that I had much more going on for me than my weight, and that I would be a valuable companion to someone. But it still hurt when people like Melanie went on the offensive with nothing more than my weight to refer to. I had to remind myself why I wasn’t firing her. I really hated Mrs. Pettibone in that moment.

  Chapter 10 - Riker

  Lacy. One word, one name, one person. Why was the mere thought of her driving me crazy? When I put my arms over her, it felt like the most natural thing in the world. She’d molded into me perfectly, like we were two pieces of a puzzle that had finally interlocked. Hell, I don’t know, maybe I was reading more into it than was actually there. After all, she’d run away. I could tell by the way she fell against me that she wanted to be with me. No doubt in my mind about that. Maybe if we’d known one another longer, she wouldn’t have left that night. Maybe she was afraid Jonas would walk in on us. I just didn’t know.

  What I did know was that I wasn’t going to let her go that easily. I couldn’t get out of my mind that image of her walking from the bathroom to the bedroom in her cottage. She was pure sex. I wanted to show her who I really was, not just in terms of the physical, but the strong nuances of what two bodies, two minds, could do to one another. I knew she had never visited that world. She was as flighty as a young doe. I wanted to push myself into her, but I couldn’t get carried away. It would run her off, I knew it as sure as I was standing there. Women were different. I had to remember that they liked the subtleties, the emotional connection, the hugging and the cuddling. It came from their primal need to be protected by an alpha. She regarded me as her alpha, but I sensed that she didn’t trust me entirely. The padlocked door hadn’t helped matters. She wasn’t ready for that room. She wasn’t ready for what I could do to her. Maybe I wasn’t ready for what she could do to me.

  I decided to take a day off from working on her cottage. When I checked in with her in the morning I could feel the tension in the room. Melanie was blabbing as usual; I could hear their voices through the floor as I navigated the crawlspace below the cottage. Someone along the way, some previous owner, had done some upgrades, and it actually wasn’t too bad under there. I’d seen a lot of projects like this; someone took on the job of remodeling or upgrading and then ran out of money along the way. At least they’d been smart enough to do it right, from the bottom up. Man, I could do Lacy right from the bottom up. Or right up the bottom. I shook my head. I had to get out of that frame of mind.

  As soon as I got out of the crawlspace, I tapped on the kitchen door. I called into the room, “I’m going now,” and then stuck my head in further. “I’ve got some things to do.”

  I didn’t wait for a response, but I was pretty sure she’d heard me. She’d have had to be deaf not to. So I went back to the house and pulled out my laptop. I made a spreadsheet to represent the rooms and started making my measurements. The downstairs, other than the kitchen, would be relatively unchanged, but the upstairs was definitely going to require moving some walls. I had to map all that out in advance.

  “Hello?” a female voice called from the front door. I thought for a second it might be Linda the real estate agent, but no, it was too female for that. When I walked into the foyer, I saw Lacy standing there.

  “Did you hear me say I was taking off for the day?”

  “Yeah, I heard you. Is Jonas at school?”

  I nodded. “Is there something wrong?”

  “No. At least, I hope not. Look, can we talk?”

  “Sure, but you’ll have to excuse the lack of furniture. I’m waiting on my interior designer to help me out,” I grinned as I said the words.

  The levity helped lighten her mood. I saw her features relax, and she smiled with those beautiful white teeth. “I happen to like sitting on the floor.” She had no idea the effect her words were having on me. It wasn’t just her words; it was her mere presence in the house.

  “Well, would you mind if we did some measurements while you’re here? It’s always easier for two people, you know; one holds one end of the measuring tape and the other one walks across the room.”

  She shrugged, the smile still on her face. “Sure, no problem. Where do you want to start?”

  Without hesitation I answered, “My bedroom.”

  Her eyebrows rose, but she dutifully followed me inside and went to stand in the corner, waiting for me to hand her the end of the measuring tape.

  “So, was there something in particular you wanted to talk about?” I asked her.

  “Sort of, but I don’t really know which words to use or how to bring it up.”

  “Why don’t you start at the beginning and let the words come out? You don’t have to decorate everything, you know.” I handed her the end of the tape measure and turned to stretch it to the opposite corner. I thought if I turned my back to her, it might be easier for her start. It seemed to work.

  “Riker, you’re not like anyone I’ve ever known before.”

  I avoided pointing out the obvious that everybody was different and waited for her to go on. I made a note of the measurement and then motioned to her to change corners while I did the next dimension. “Go on, don’t let me stop you.”

  “I guess I need to ask you something outright. It’s kind of embarrassing, but my not knowing is beginning to get in the way of our work and I don’t want that to happen for either one of us.”

  I took the next measurement and then snapped the tape measure closed. I walked toward her, reaching out to take one of her hands. She was standing there like a naughty girl, shifting from foot to foot as though she was expecting punishment. “Just go ahead and spill it out.”

  “Well…”

  I pulled out the tape measure again, and with a smile I hooked it around her breasts. “Jesus, you’re even more beautiful than I thought.”

  She blushed but didn’t say anything.

  “Go on…” I urged her, but as I said the words I took the tape measure down to her ankle and extended it up toward her crotch. “Just measuring your inseam,” I teased her, but I let my hand linger. She said nothing. I looked for signs that she was going to bolt out the door again, but they weren’t there. Instead, she bent her knees so that her crotch was cupped in my hand.

  I didn’t need any more encouragement than that. Her scent filled my head and I knew there was no going back this time. I threw the tape measure to the side and put my hands on her waistband. Hooking one finger inside the belt, I tugged it backward until it snapped open. I heard her intake of breath. She knew what was about to happen.

  I ran my index finger between her legs, massaging her pussy through the heavy fabric of her jeans. Slowly, back and forth, and her knees bent again so that I might rub her harder.

  “To hell with this!” I muttered and began pulling at her clothes and my own until we faced off naked and panting. I watched her face for some sign that she
was with me in this, but in the end the sign came when she reached for my cock. Her touch was tentative, as though she was afraid of it. I put my hand around it, offering it to her, and she sank to her knees on the pile of blankets and kissed the tip. I almost shot my load right then, but I knew that patience brought great rewards, and I was willing to wait for the spectacular I knew she was capable of.

  I reached down, extending my hands, and she took them. I lifted her up and spun her around until she was directly over the cushion of blankets. Lowering her gradually, I went down on my knees and pushed her wide open. My imagination became the real thing as I kissed the full lips of her pouting pussy. She was fighting for position, guiding my lips to her trigger spots. She bent her knees and rose to a half-seated position, pulling at my hips to penetrate her, but I held back.

  “Please, I want to feel you inside,” she begged, lifting her hips and inviting me into her. I shook my head, grabbed her hips and turned her over. At the same time, I pushed at the back of her knees and forced her into a doggie position, that beautiful, fluffy ass spreading in invitation. I pushed her ass cheeks open and ran my moistened finger up and down. She was bucking backwards into me, wanting a sense of fulfillment. I was making her wait.

  Reaching beneath her, I cupped her pussy and began a slow circular motion with my index finger, pressing into her every third or fourth rotation. Sometimes I waited until the sixth. She became like Pavlov’s dog, anticipating the next insertion and disappointed when it didn’t come on the third rotation. “You’re making me crazy,” she rasped, and I laughed softly and inserted the finger.

  “It’s all about the anticipation, sweet Lacy. You’ll catch on.”

  All the while I repeated the rhythmic stimulation, she was trying to back onto my lap and sit on my cock. Instead, I pushed her forward and her ankles outward, holding them in place. “Just lie there and feel,” I whispered. Using my hand, I massaged her damp pussy without pressing into the flesh; just ghostlike touches that left her gasping for me.

  “Please…” she begged, and I slapped her ass, hard, and flipped her over.

  Looming above her, I asked, “Want me?”

  She was in a frenzy by this time and was nodding furiously, pulling at my hips.

  “How bad?”

  “Bad.”

  “Beg for me.”

  “Fuck me, Riker. I can’t stand the teasing anymore. Please.”

  I placed a hand on either side of her labia lips and forced them open. “Let me see,” I said in a teasing tone. “Are you ready for me yet?” I dipped my index finger inside her and it emerged coated with her juices. Her hips were bucking upward. “Ready?”

  “Yes! Fuck me!” she screamed, and I drove into her. I pinned her to the floor and paused, letting her get used to my girth and the fact that there was nothing cushioning her ass against my strength. I heard her make a sound of astonishment and saw that her eyes were wide open, her hands on my chest in supplication. “Riker? Don’t hurt me,” she pleaded.

  “Get ready,” I warned and began pounding her hard and fast. I fucked her so hard that her body began sliding away from me, so I grabbed her hands and locked her wrists at my side. “Stay with me, darlin’” I growled, and she nodded as her luscious breasts slapped against her chest. She was wriggling from side to side, which only made her hotter. It was like trying to pin down a flopping fish. Each time I hit home, I went deep and hard, withdrawing with slow, rotating strokes.

  “Don’t stop,” she pleaded, and I knew she was nearing her peak. I kept up the assault on her beautiful body and she met me with every thrust.

  “Ah, ah, ah,” she was gasping, and her mouth opened as her head turned from cheek to cheek in delirium. I gave her three hard thrusts and then withdrew and pushed into her mouth. She finished me off, the sucking intensifying the explosion of nerve endings that pumped me up as big as I’d ever seen myself. I released into her soft, full-lipped mouth, and she greedily sucked the cum off my cock and swallowed it. “It… tastes… like… you,” she gasped between swallows.

  I filled her full and watched her long throat take it all down. When I was spent, I fell to her side and lay there, panting. She rolled her head to lie on my chest, and her hair was damp with her perspiration and the combination of our juices. It felt sticky, but it smelled like us. It answered a primal instinct and acted like a glue between us. My hand slid up her back and rubbed the back of her neck as her breasts pushed into my chest. I could feel her still panting and her heart pounding. “You okay?” I asked, concerned.

  She said nothing but nodded against me. I stroked her back, my finger tickling the top of her ass crack as it passed over. She giggled and ground her pussy into my thigh. Soon, the tickle became more intense and she wrapped her legs around my thigh and pussy-fucked it. I turned on my side and slid back into her. We rocked against one another, give and take until we both came again. It was gentler, more like an exchange of warm honey. When it was over, she burrowed into the curve of my body and I wrapped my arms around her.

  “Riker?” she whispered.

  “Yes?”

  “What’s behind the door?”

  “Shhh… rest now. Jonas will be back any minute, and I can’t reach to close the door without moving.” I flung my arm outward in demonstration, and she quickly sat up and began pulling on her clothes. I smiled as I retrieved my own clothes, and when she was standing before the window, combing her waist-length hair with a brush she’d retrieved from her bag, I came up behind her. “Something I wanted to ask you,” I said into her hair.

  “What’s that?”

  “Why did you come today?”

  The brush stopped mid-stroke. “I wondered whether you wanted me as much as I wanted you,” she said honestly, and my estimation of her went up two-fold, if that was possible.

  “Did you get your answer?”

  She resumed brushing as her head nodded.

  “Good.”

  Chapter 11 - Lacy

  Things began to change after I left Riker’s house that afternoon. It was as though a new period of my life had begun. I felt beautiful and desirable and full of confidence. The sales calls I made were no longer so dreaded, and I actually began to enjoy meeting new people and explaining what I wanted to do with their houses. Whenever an opportunity for a Riker referral came up, I jumped on it. I was handing him off nearly as much work as I was getting for myself.

  Riker came less often to work on the cottage. He’d gotten the most important things done and had wrapped up everything on the outside. The weather was beginning to turn cold, and I knew my play room upstairs would have to wait a bit longer. We’d gotten the contract for Mrs. Roberts’s house, and Riker’s work on it had to precede my own. Although neither one of us needed supervision, we somehow seemed to show up at the same times for work anyway. We didn’t talk about what had happened that afternoon. It almost felt like a secret pact between us. The draw was strong, and we already knew we were compatible, but I don’t think either one of us knew what to do with it from there.

  There would be obstacles, no doubt. For one thing, we were both trying to build businesses. Riker was remodeling his own house, and then came his responsibility to Jonas and the other boys he was planning to take in once he’d finished. How he could fit a relationship into all that remained undiscussed.

  Then there was the matter of Melanie. She and I had grown even more distant, if such a thing was possible. Her sarcasm and petty criticisms of both Riker and myself were getting harder to ignore. I knew there was some sort of confrontation ahead of us, but I was still working on the referral list Mrs. Pettibone had given me and I didn’t need Melanie’s drama to interfere with that.

  I had tea with Mrs. Pettibone on another couple of occasions. She had summoned me, coming up to me after church on Sunday. I didn’t dare refuse, although her brusque, condescending attitude was beginning to get under my skin. I had to look at it as a necessary evil until my business was off the ground. Each time she reminded me how cr
itical it was that my reputation live up to her standards. I began to wonder whether Melanie was talking in the community, spreading rumors or even lies. Although we each had our own personal reasons for tolerating one another, it was obvious she didn’t like me.

  “I understand your business is doing well,” Mrs. Pettibone remarked while handing me my cup of tea.

  “Yes, it’s definitely picking up, and I have you to thank for that,” I told her, throwing a bone to the dog. She may not have totally deserved it, but who was I to be ungracious? She wasn’t asking for a cut of my profits, merely the acknowledgment that I couldn’t have done it without her. It was little enough to give to a woman who had little to look forward to for the rest of her life. She seemed to grow in girth each time I saw her, and now her breathing was labored and she’d begun coughing something into her handkerchief, which she promptly shoved into her pocket. It was obvious that she was ill, but I didn’t push the issue by asking what she obviously didn’t want to tell.

  The Roberts project ended well. Riker finished up his part and then I was free to do my thing. She’d agreed to allow me to order two new loveseats and get rid of the lumbering dinosaur that was her old sofa. Riker did me the service of hauling it to the dump, and for the first time, I walked into her living room and felt as though I could breathe. The holidays were coming, so I included a few conservative and tasteful decorations in with the layers of mementos she insisted on keeping on display.

  I satisfied her hoarding tendencies by picking up an old dining room china hutch that I covered with a soft blue chalk paint before stenciling a bouquet of soft pink flowers on each of the doors and painting the trim pieces the same shade as the flowers. It was a truly delicate, feminine piece when it was completed. I set it into the corner at an angle and convinced her to move her collectibles into it, explaining that they wouldn’t need to be dusted as often and made a more powerful presentation when grouped together. Even I was surprised at my own bullshit. But you do what you have to do.