New Life
Page 17
“You should be working with animals,” I said out of the blue. “Maybe they have job openings at the day care where I take Baby.”
He looked up. “That’d be cool. I’ve been thinking about trying something like that. I just started for my dad though so I feel like I owe him some time, and honestly, I need to save up some money before I start searching for apartments again.”
You don’t have to. You could move in here. I wanted to make the offer from the bottom of my heart, but it was too much, too soon. Being impetuous hadn’t served us very well last time. As it was, we were rushing back into sex—but there was no way I was turning that down.
I offered a hand to Jason to help him to his feet, and then we were all over each other again, kissing and touching and tearing off clothes, much to Baby’s excitement. She barked and pranced around us all the way to my bedroom. When I closed the door, she immediately began to whine and scratch, so I took a break long enough to put her in her crate and remove Jason’s sock from her mouth.
“Be patient. We’ll let you out soon,” I promised, rubbing her muzzle.
I returned to my room to find Jason naked and lying on the bed, arms behind his head, the position showing off the muscles in his arms to good advantage. I finished taking off my underwear with a stripper’s flourish, then leaped onto the bed and his body with the speed and agility of a jungle cat.
“Hi,” I purred and nuzzled his chest, teasing his nipples until he gave a soft groan.
I kissed and licked a trail down to his groin, then took his erection in hand. I couldn’t help, just for a moment, thinking about the girl who’d done this to him while we’d been dating. But I’d accepted Jason’s apology, and I didn’t believe he was a cheater at heart. I trusted him when he promised never to do anything like that again. So if I said I was letting it go, I had to really let it go. I shrugged off thoughts of Lisa and concentrated on the moment we were in now.
I licked his length, then took him in my mouth, relishing more of those quiet groans and the way his hips lifted. The musky taste of silken skin and the weight and girth of him filled my senses. I pumped and sucked until I felt him trembling on the brink; then I let go and got a condom to replace my mouth on his shaft.
Straddling him with my hands pressed against his chest, I eased down onto his cock. My pussy stretched to encompass him, and I moaned in satisfaction as he filled me.
Gazing down at his face, I etched every detail to memory, from the beautiful bow of his upper lip to the strong line of his jaw, from the scar that zigzagged Harry Potter-style down one side of his face, to the twinkles in the depths of his mysterious dark eyes.
I seated myself on him fully, deeply, and began to rock back and forth. Jason grunted, and his fingers dug into my hips as he lifted into me. His pleasure was my delight. I worked to prolong every moment, gliding slowly up and down, rocking ever so slightly, then taunting him by pulling completely off and keeping my body just out of reach.
He growled and seized my hips harder, pulling me back down as he thrust up hard. It was my turn to gasp and close my eyes at the intense sensation that speared through me. Our bodies slapped together, and sweat pooled between us as minute after minute oozed by like dripping honey—sweet, sticky, lingering.
The tension was exquisite and grew more powerful as we slowly, inexorably approached climax. I bobbed up and down faster, contracting my muscles hard around him, feeling every inch of him inside me, and wanting nothing more than this connection, which seemed far deeper than merely physical.
“Oh God, Anna,” he breathed, and the desperate gasp of my name put me over the edge. I cried out and came hard, my body trembling and spasming around him.
Feeling the gush of my release made him wild. He pushed up on his elbows, canting his body to a different angle and plunged into me. We were fused together face-to-face. He grasped a handful of my hair and pulled my face to his. His tongue thrust into my mouth, mimicking the movement of his cock, and a muffled groan passed from his mouth into mine as he let go at last.
I broke off from that last kiss with a gasp, and together we collapsed back onto the bed in a jellied heap, a melted pool of bliss.
After I caught my breath, I kissed his salty neck and peeled myself off him to flop onto my back. “That was what sex is all about.”
“Yup.”
“We should give lessons. We are so good.”
“We’d be rich.” He turned on his side to face me. “Why were we going to wait for a few dates to get to that? I can’t remember.”
“Me either.” I traced the line of his jaw and then the beautiful shape of his mouth with one finger. “I’ve been missing you so much.”
“Not close to how much I missed you,” he swore.
His hand skimmed lightly down my body from throat to groin, pausing to rest on my heart and feel several beats, before drifting down to warmly cup my pussy. “Anna?”
“Mm-hm,” I murmured, drifting in postcoital bliss. I snuggled closer to Jason and let his arms and the heat of his body envelop me.
“Can I say something without freaking you out?”
I snapped out of my daze, immediately alert. “Sure. What?”
“I kind of feel like I’m…in love with you.” He paused. “Way too soon, right?”
My heart gave a nervous lurch as the weight of his words hit me, but I answered, “I don’t think it’s ever too soon to tell someone how you honestly feel. Thank you for saying it.”
And then I turned to see him, taking in the familiar contours of his face and those amazing eyes I’d been afraid I’d never look into again. I sort of ignited inside until I felt like I was glowing. I’d never experienced anything like it before, so I felt pretty safe in replying, “I think I love you too.”
Part of me was Snoopy dancing all over the place, but a portion was scared about admitting to being in love. Thinking in terms of a future together, I still couldn’t quite envision what that would be. Jason was nothing like the sort of man I’d imagined I’d end up with. But I shooed away my mother’s nagging voice and embraced the unexpected. Love came in all sorts of different packages and mine just happened to be shaped like Jason.
Chapter Twenty-six
“Don’t touch that. You’ll break it!” Rob called from across the shop, even though I was two feet away from his meticulously constructed aircraft carrier and not even considering touching it.
“I think it needs dusting,” I said, feinting toward the model with my rag as if I would swab down the deck and sweep off the miniature jets and crewmen.
“No!” Rob charged toward me.
“Dude, you’re so easy,” I teased as I flicked the rag over a shelf of boxed airplane models instead. “I think you should put your toys under glass if you’re so worried about them. Maybe with laser sensors like they use in museums.”
He stared at the display of ships in the front window of the shop. They sailed gallantly on a piece of blue carpeting meant to represent the ocean. “You think?”
I rolled my eyes but decided to stop baiting him. After all, he’d put a lot of painstaking work into each of those craft. They were labors of love to him. They mattered, and who was I to scoff at his babies?
“No, not really. Not an alarm system, anyway, but maybe they should be in glass cases. Some of the dads who come in here are too busy shopping to pay attention to what their kids are up to, and you can’t go around yelling at the customers every time they get too close.”
Rob nodded and leaned over the tableau of ships to adjust a minute piece of machinery.
I looked at my watch. “Okay, I’m out of here. See you in a couple of days.”
Rob was so focused on his repair job he didn’t respond.
“Hey.” I waited until I had his attention. “Remember not to argue with Phillips when he comes in. The customer is always right, and you want him to keep buying his supplies here.”
“Phillips is a douche. It’s common knowledge that the U.S.S. Nimitz—”
Rob dragged his attention from the display to actually look at me. “Hey, man, thanks for coming in. I appreciate it.”
“No problem.” I bumped fists with him before I went to get my jacket. It seemed even abrasive Rob could change. His attitude had noticeably improved since he’d set up shop. And even though the place struggled financially, which was why I helped out for free when I could, Rob seemed to be as close to happy as I’d ever known him.
I emerged from the shop in time to glimpse Anna’s red Prius down the block. I hurried to the no-parking zone near the store so she could swing in and pick me up.
I had it so bad my heart soared at the mere sight of her vehicle. I was in love like a Hallmark greeting card, syrupy sweet and over the top.
The Prius swerved to the curb, and I hurried to open the door and climb inside. “Home,” I ordered my personal chauffeur.
“Yes, sir,” she replied smartly.
I reached over to rest my hand on her thigh.
“No touching the driver, sir. That’s sexual harassment.” But Anna left my hand where it was, and moaned a little when I snaked it higher between her thighs.
“I really need to get you a sexy uniform,” I said. “Something in leather with a cute cap.”
“Only if you’ll wear a soldier outfit for me. You know I’ve got a thing for guys in uniform.”
“I still have a janitor coverall.”
“I was thinking more Marine Corps or special ops, but that’ll do.”
I grinned and snuck my finger under the elastic of her panties, feeling her wetness and making her squirm with a flick of my fingertip. I withdrew my hand from her crotch before I distracted her too much and got us in an accident.
“Seriously, though,” I said. “You don’t have to drive me around. I’m used to taking the bus.”
“I know, and when it doesn’t work with my schedule, trust me, I’ll let you know you need to make other arrangements. But I like giving you rides. I like seeing you whenever I can.”
“I like seeing you too, baby. And, if I haven’t said it enough, thanks for inviting me to move in.”
Our big plan of taking things slow had escalated after a couple of months of carrying on an inconvenient long-distance relationship. Not that I lived that far away, but I felt bad that Anna always had to make the effort to come see me. I was pretty much stranded in Pickens by my inability to drive.
I also realized pretty quickly that I didn’t want to work at the hardware store long-term. I thanked my dad for the opportunity to get back on my feet and, with Anna’s recommendation, it was easy to get a job dog-sitting for PetCare. The pay was less than what I’d earned as a janitor, but I had no rent to make once I moved in with Anna. Yeah, I was a kept man, but the living arrangement suited both of us. I cleaned the house, cooked, and did laundry. She brought home the bacon.
“I love having you there,” Anna said. “I get a home-cooked meal at the end of the day and great sex. You’re like a housekeeper with benefits.”
“I kinda am.” I very deliberately brought the hand I’d been fingering her with to my nose and sniffed.
“You are so dirty. God, I love that about you.” She laughed. “Hey, by the way, I made a plan with Cindy for a double date next Friday night. Are you up for that?”
Time to meet the friends. It was another step forward, but I played it cool. “Sure, why not? I’d like to meet her.”
“Cool. And while we’re setting dates, I hate to spring this on you, but I promised my parents I’d go home to Michigan for the Thanksgiving holiday. It’s a pain. I’d much rather spend it with your family. I totally love your mom and dad, and I’m pretty sure Katie won’t poison my pumpkin pie now. But my mom really wants me to come. She’s having the relatives, and it’s going to be this whole big thing. Do you mind?”
“No. I’ll just go see my folks for the day. I can take care of Baby unless you want her with you.”
“I meant do you mind coming to my parents’ house? It won’t be fun so much as excruciating, but luckily we can leave by Saturday morning, since I have work for an excuse. I’d like to have you there.”
She was inviting me, actually inviting me to make the trip to officially meet her extended family.
“Shit! Work. With the holiday weekend, there’ll be a lot of dogs boarding. I know Denise is counting on me to help.” I paused, considering the significance of what Anna was offering. “Let me see about trading shifts with a couple of people and I’ll let you know as soon as I’ve worked something out.”
Her brilliant smile let me know I’d said the right thing.
Anna guided the car off the busy highway into a quiet residential neighborhood, where our apartment building was. She was frowning and tapping her fingers on the steering wheel as she drove.
“What’s the matter?” I asked.
“Don’t get mad or take this the wrong way, but I want to make sure you’re really up for this. It’ll be a long trip, a totally new place, and a bunch of new people. It’s not going to be too much for you, is it? And please, don’t think I’m asking because I don’t want you to go. I do. I just don’t want you to be stressed out or overwhelmed,” she said in a rush.
“Fair questions. If I go into a catatonic state after a while, I don’t want you to worry or call a doctor. Just put me in a closet somewhere until I come out of it.”
“Don’t joke. I’m trying to be honest. I can’t help worrying.”
Worrying about me, or that I’d embarrass her in front of her people, or some of both? It was only natural and simply one of the things we’d have to deal with in our relationship.
“Seriously, then,” I said, “If I get overwhelmed, I’ll just go to a quiet room somewhere or take a walk outside. You really don’t need to worry about me. I can manage myself.”
“I know you can. I’m sorry.”
“Hey, you have every right to express your concerns. You should. Communication is key, remember?” I grinned. “Anyway, I’ve got to go, if only to see the bedroom you grew up in. I bet your parents kept it just the same, like a shrine. I bet it’s full of boy-band posters and stuffed rainbow unicorns.”
“Bullshit.” Anna laughed as she pulled the Prius into the carport. “Slipknot and Korn posters, and a stuffed rat with a studded choker around its neck. I may have been an overachiever academically, but I dressed Goth all the way in high school.”
“You continue to surprise me.” I released my seat belt and moved closer, cupping her neck and pulling her into a kiss.
One kiss led to two, led to making out in the parked car for about twenty minutes while the radio softly played. When the light pattering of raindrops echoed from the roof of the port, we broke apart at last. The car was chilly, but the windows were steamed up.
Lost in you. I get so lost in you I can’t find my way out again. The singer on the radio rasped in a smoky voice exactly what I was feeling in that moment. And if I’m lost forever this way, I don’t even care. The cutting edge on the sweet blade of love.
“We should go inside,” Anna said but didn’t open the door.
I slipped my arm around her, and she rested her head on my shoulder. We watched the rain dripping from the edge of the carport roof, and I remembered the night of my accident, waking up to rain falling on my face. I remember knowing something bad had happened and everything had changed forever. I felt the same way watching the rain now, only the opposite—something amazing had happened and my life was about to twist in a new direction. I felt as if I’d been in a holding pattern for a very long time and now I was moving again--a little scary and a lot wonderful.
Anna pulled away to look up into my face. “What ya thinking about?”
“Just counting raindrops and wondering what number I’ll get to before I kiss you again.”
A slow smile curved her lips as she slid her hand around the ba
ck of my neck and pulled me so close we shared a single breath.
“One,” she whispered.
The End
About the author: Bonnie Dee began telling stories as a child. Whenever there was a sleepover, she was the designated ghost-tale teller, guaranteed to frighten and thrill with macabre stories. She still has a story printed in second grade on yellow legal paper about a ghost, a witch, and a talking cat. Writing childish stories later led to majoring in English at college. Like most English majors, she dreamed of writing a novel, but didn't have the necessary focus and follow-through at that time in her life. It was only in 2000 that she began writing again and became a multipublished erotic romance author. You may see her backlist of books at http://bonniedee.com. Join her Yahoo group for updates on new releases at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bonniedee/. Bonnie Dee is also on Facebook and Twitter.
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Blurb from Serious Play, co-written with Summer Devon. Available from Carina Press and at most e-bookstores:
Luke Bailey has dreams of building homes and putting down roots. But for a man with a rough past, finding any job isn't easy. When Mary Scott offers him a job—and a place to stay—mixing drinks and tapping beer at her theme bar, My Parents' Basement, Luke accepts. Customers flock to the cozy pub, designed to evoke memories of lost childhood, to meet and mingle and play games.
For Mary, her gorgeous new employee should be off-limits. She's his boss. And they're very different—something her interfering family constantly points out. But Mary's done playing the good girl. And Luke isn't the bad boy everyone thinks he is. Their attraction simmers until Mary seduces Luke into playing some deliciously adult games. Then a shocking betrayal threatens everything...
First Chapter Excerpt:
“Truth or Dare, Mr. Bailey.”