The Plumber's Helper

by Blaise Kilgallen

  "Oh okay, Jake, get dressed. Don't you dare walk around like that."

  "And how am I supposed to do that?" he asked with an answering grin.

  "Well then. Just wait a minute. I'll find something of my father's you can borrow." She rushed off to the master bedroom and pulled a pair of sweatpants from her father's closet. Returning, she said, "Here. Go put them on in the other room. I'll make some toast."

  When he came back holding up the borrowed clothing, he grumbled, "You couldn't find anything smaller?"

  The sweats were way too big and hung on his lean waist and hips. He glanced at her and saw she was still smiling.

  "My father is a tad bigger than you are. But just sit down at the table, Jake, and keep quiet while I fix breakfast." She snickered softly and covered her mouth. "Before you lose those britches."

  He had carried in the Sunday paper with him, so he browsed through it while she fried some eggs and bacon.

  It felt very much to Roxy that all of this ambiance felt much the same as when Jake returned to fix the leaks a couple of weeks ago. Now her insides clenched in remembrance of what else had happened later on.

  Jake was relatively noncommittal while they ate breakfast and drank two mugs of coffee apiece. An oppressive silence seemed to hover between them. Jake had said he wanted to talk, but so far, he hadn't said why.

  Uncomfortable, Roxy began to babble, describing the phone call from her parents. "I heard from my parents. They're in Texas."

  "Texas?" He looked up from the sports page. "How come?"

  "Jake, you know where we came from. My parents were born in Texas, too."

  "Oh, yeah, that's right. Now, I remember. I know everything about you."

  "No, you don't, plumber man."

  "But anyway, they want to go back there to live. So, I don't know what's going to happen with this house. I wish I was in a position to buy it from them."

  Jake watched Roxy's eyes roving over the bright, cozy kitchen and trailing farther into the immense great room. He could tell by the look on her face and in her eyes that she loved the house and enjoyed living in the Mirror Lake community.

  "You really like it here, huh?"

  "Um hmm. I always did. For me it's a perfect place to be. I've got to find some way to keep it. A hefty mortgage and the upkeep might be too much for me."

  "You could always take in a roomie." He waited to see her reaction.

  "Oh, I don't know. I've never had a roommate in my city apartment. I had enough with roomies when I was staying with Grady before we got married. But maybe…"

  "What about me, for instance?"

  She threw him a disdainful look. "Jake, don't be dumb."

  "Well, you could always marry me, and I could buy the house from your parents."

  Roxy's eyes grew round. "You're not that rich, Jake. Or are you? You're a plumber for gosh sakes."

  Then she swiftly shook her head, focusing her wide-eyed gaze on his. "Don't jerk me around, plumber man. I'm serious. I need to figure a way to hang onto this house."

  "Remember, Rox, I wasn't always a plumber. And, I'm serious, too. Besides, plumbers make good money in case you don't think so. Wait until you get your bill." He laughed. Then his tone grew serious. He held her gaze when he said, "But what I was saying, Roxanne, is that I'm asking you to marry me."

  She couldn't help herself. Almost immediately, her bottom lip trembled. She forced it to

  stop quivering by biting down hard with her top teeth. Her eyes filled as she saw his face blur through a watery veil of tears.

  "Oh God, Jake…"

  Her anger faded as if it never had been part of her. In fact, Jake looked so … well, so ridiculous … and wonderful, she couldn't help herself. When he stood up, she wasn't sure if she should laugh or cry, seeing him holding up her father's baggy sweats.

  The sweats he ignored. They slid off his lean hips and slithered to the floor at the same time he pulled Roxy against his body. His grip was firm and warm on her upper arms. The fact he was serious was apparent. "I haven't changed. Not about you, Rox, not really. This time I just got smarter. I found out during the past couple of weeks that I can't be happy unless you're around. I want you to trust me on that score no matter what."

  Like before? When they were both teenagers? Had he cared for her even then? Oh God, what a dumbbell she'd been, just because she had been so new, too straight to believe the rumors she'd heard about him. Too dumb to trust him. She had instead, buried her attraction for him down deep and forgot it. Oh Lord, all those wasted years.

  Even now, she couldn't give in that easily, not until she was sure. "Buying a house and living together isn't going to make the marriage work, Jake. It takes more than that. I've been through it before, you know."

  "I know, but somebody gave me some good advice."

  "Who?"

  "You don't want to know." Then he kissed her, holding her close. "No matter what happens about the house, Rox, I want to marry you." His lips were warm, smooth, seeking the spot low on her neck that he nuzzled, kissed, and nibbled. Roxy felt the difference in him immediately from the time he kissed her two weeks ago. His words were muffled, almost inaudible, but he was saying things without words she desperately needed to accept.

  She should be wiser, since she was older and smarter. She wanted so much to trust him. But what about the other night? What about Desiree Smith? Had he ever slept with her? And with how many others had he been intimate? When a light bulb finally switched on in her head, she realized it shouldn't make a difference. She loved him and that's what mattered. After all, she hadn't been Miss Squeaky Kleen when she was in college.

  Jake Plummer was a lusty, virile hunk; she knew that after a few times making love with him. He was a beautiful specimen and an experienced lover. So what if he ran around loose all those years? Obviously, he hadn't found a woman he wanted to marry. Until now. None of that was any of her business. What was her business, however, was to make sure he didn't stray—ever again. Oh yeah, because marriage with Jake would be half the fun.

  I think today might be the right time to start enjoying it.

  He kissed her with passion, swamping her mouth with his tongue, sucking on it almost roughly, reveling in the taste and texture of her, plunging his tongue behind her teeth.

  She moaned and twirled hers with his the way she remembered he liked. She was trying to get her arms up and around his neck, feeling all soft and pliant in his arms, melting, aroused, breathing hard. What he didn't know was that she was determined and anxious to make love to him.

  When Jake finished devouring her mouth, he kissed her eyes tenderly, her cheeks, and lastly, came back to her lips again.

  When she could speak, she said, "Jake … uh…"

  "Let's go inside to your bedroom, Rox. I'll tell you all about it in bed."

  "But, Jake, you wanted to talk…"

  "First things first, sweetheart."

  Chapter Seventeen

  Jake stepped out of Bill Diamond's sweatpants, left them on the kitchen floor, and lifted Roxy up into his arms. He stopped once or twice to kiss her again before reaching her room.

  They tumbled into the unmade bed in a knot of arms and legs, kissing and touching wherever hands and mouths could reach skin, which was a lot, since on the way in, Roxy had pulled off his only remaining piece of clothing-Jake's T-shirt.

  Roxy hadn't changed into daytime clothes when she got up. She still wore pj's and a robe, so it was easy for Jake to undress her. They were both soon naked.

  Roxy's brain was spinning, but she knew what she wanted to do. Jake had asked her to marry him. She would tell him she would, but she wouldn't say it yet.

  When she reached for him, he clamped onto her wrist and dragged her hand over his bare chest. She teased and stroked, kneading his hard muscles like a cat, awakening Jake's sensitized skin. She immediately felt his reaction. Her eyelids drooped, watching him through her lashes as he took her hand and moved it down his ribs and farther toward his helper's hard
on. She made a low sound in her throat as she wrapped her palm around his engorged erection.

  Jake's cock jerked in response. His cock was tender, but not so much that it wouldn't perform.

  Her inexperience showed as she continued to fondle him, but that didn't matter. The fact she was holding him in her hand had his senses tumbling. Dammit! If he wasn't careful, he'd go off like a teenager the same way he did with her that night in the rowboat.

  He brought a callused palm to her breast, felt the hard, pointy nipple as she arched against him. Impossible to resist temptation, he leaned over and began licking and sucking hard while she continued to caress him. She moaned softly and tightened her fingers on his rigid flesh. She increased movements up and down his shaft, setting up a rhythm she hoped would have him flying off to never-never land.

  He clenched his groin muscles, desperately hanging onto control. He almost came. He finally loosened her fingers around his dick and brought her hand to his lips.

  "No-o … let me," she pleaded, looking deeply into his eyes. Her soft begging had his blood racing through his veins, the size of his wounded cock growing ever bigger.

  "Not now, babe. Later," he whispered, and took her in another searing kiss that made her head swim.

  From high school Jake had learned how to seduce females—and often. But this time everything was different. This was real, and he planned to step cautiously, not make any stupid mistakes that would jeopardize his marriage plans. The magnetism between he and Roxy had been obvious from the time they'd both been in high school. Today he wanted to take it slow and careful while making love to her. He wanted to tell her—show her—how much he loved her, had always loved her from the time they met. Of course, he hadn't realized it then. But he did after their devastating, torrid lovemaking at the lake this summer. It hadn't simply been a fuck in Roxy's bed. He loved her so much his balls had ached while his brain cells were mush for two weeks. She was everything he had missed, wanted, and couldn't seem to find.

  Yeah, he wanted to screw her and come back for seconds. Maybe thirds. He wanted to watch her climax every time it happened, every day and every night. There was no way he would let her get away from him this time, not like the stupid way he had before.

  Jake laid his mouth against the delicious curve where her shoulder met the swell of her breast. "Did you know I've been wanting to make love to you since last night at the dance?"

  "So have I," she said, caressing his cheeks with gentle palms, capturing his head in hers and gazing up at him.

  "And do a lot of other things, too, if you must know."

  "I guessed as much." Her slow, tantalizing smile turned sultry.

  No slow build-up. No faking it. He could read it in her eyes.

  "Me, too."

  She smoothed her hands over skin of his face, her caresses feather-light as she explored the angles of his square jaws, his straight nose, his dark, slanted eyebrows. She leaned up and kissed his lips tenderly, then pressed her budded nipples against his bare chest.

  "Make love to me, Jake," she murmured. Then she lay back down and waited for him to do whatever he wanted.

  It wasn't an invitation he'd ignore.

  Again, he crushed her mouth underneath his with the greedy hunger he had fought off most of last night. Too restless to sleep, he had jumped out of bed, pulled on some clothes, and drove to the lake in the predawn to wait for Roxy to wake up while he cooled his heels on the deck.

  After another heated kiss, he dragged his lips off of hers. They were both breathing hard.

  "Jake," she said, an extended sigh rolling over her lips. "God, I want you so much, plumber man. Don't make me wait."

  Jake controlled his urgency, though he was ready and primed. He wanted to be inside her, hard and deep, stroking her vagina, touching her heart and soul, expressing his love in a way she'd understand. And he wanted it without any of those damn condoms coming between her flesh and his. He knew he was clean, and he was absolutely certain Roxy was.

  He tried to slow his breathing, but it wasn't easy. His hand glided down the smooth skin of her belly and cupped her clipped mound, aware of the heat and juices pouring from her cunt and displaying her desire. Her lifted hips followed his movement, a tiny hum of pleasure escaping her lips. When he touched the aroused, swollen labia, she pressed his hand hard against the area, encouraging him to stroke her.

  "Oh Jake, I want it now! Hurry!"

  He met her frantic gaze but whispered, "The last time we made love, Rox, it was too damn quick. Let's take our time, sweetheart. I want to make love to my wife-to-be."

  "Are you crazy, Jake?" She had a wild, glazed look in her eyes. "I'm dying here, plumber man!"

  "Shush, babe. I'll take you where you want to go real soon."

  Roxy jerked when Jake's two fingers found their way inside her. She hurriedly spread her legs wider. Quicksilver sensations rose and fell like exquisite tidal waves of passion as tension grew, coursing through her and drowning her in pleasure as she was bombarded by jolts of violent spasms from her inner core.

  "Ahhh, God help me, Jake!"

  The rush gathered and crested until she squirmed under Jake's expertise. Within seconds her entire body exploded in a series of mind-blowing orgasms. She climaxed and climaxed—and climaxed again. Her clenching muscles reached critical mass at last, and she peaked some place very close to Jupiter, until she slowly, deliciously, drifted down to earth, limp as a wet dishrag.

  It took a while before she could move at all.

  Jake shifted on the bed as he slid himself up against the headboard, his skin still in contact with hers. The hard, hot length of his erection lay against her bare arm where it rested next to his thigh. Jake let Roxy doze while he watched her chest moving up and down as she drew in deep, contented breaths.

  She finally opened her eyes. "That wasn't fair, Jake," she murmured low as she rolled toward him and slid her arms about his lean waist, pressing her lips and the tip of her tongue against his pecs.

  "Wha-t?"

  "I wanted to touch you more, Jake. Now, it's my turn to make love to you." She lifted her face and he placed his mouth on hers, gently, softly.

  "Let me. I want to make you feel the same way you make me feel."

  She sat up and swung her legs over his upper thighs, straddling him, her direct gaze warm and inviting.

  When he nodded, she slowly skimmed her hands down his washboard abs. The sensations crossing her palms were wonderfully new and exciting. Her intense exploration of his torso changed from smooth, hard muscle and taut skin to crisp hair when she finally reached the base of his upright cock and his pliant, silky-skinned testicles.

  Caught by an audible, growling sigh, Jake inhaled a ragged breath, filling his lungs.

  Roxy again closed her fingers tentatively around his pulsing dick. "You know, Jake, sometimes you amaze me," she said. "I'm really glad your plumber's helper wasn't badly damaged. What in the world would we do if he had shriveled to nothingness, blistered and scorched, limp and bleeding?"

  Her eyes gleamed, because she knew that wasn't the case. "Are you sure I'm not hurting you?"

  Jake's cock twitched and jumped in her grip. Just a thought of what might have happened to his dick in the kitchen when the hot coffee poured down his groin left its mark on his brain. He shuddered, feeling some tingling still present. He would have liked to come back with a glib answer, but he couldn't, not while she was grasping his tender flesh.

  "Not enough that I want you to stop, Rox." He pressed his palm over her fingers and tightened her hold.

  Seeing the manifestation, long and round and baby smooth that she held in her palm, it appeared to be, thankfully, the same pleasurable and wicked instrument he'd used those past weeks to bring her to climax more than once during her several flights of ecstasy.

  Meanwhile, Roxy's voice, low and husky, spoke as she teased his cock. "I wanted to touch you weeks ago, Jake. I like touching your plumber, he's so velvety smooth, so big, and hard. God, Jake, you d
rove me up a wall more than once. I want him inside me again, but not yet. First I want to do other nice things to you."

  Jake almost came up off the mattress when one of her fingers slid over the head of his penis and finding a drop of moisture there, used it to lubricate his shaft.

  Her touch was excruciating … and wonderful. Jake gritted his back teeth and held his breath.

  She increased the pressure with her movements.

  His eyes almost crossed when she leaned down and touched the hot tip of her tongue to the slit in his penis's head.

  "Shit, Rox! Hold me in your mouth," he croaked. His senses were roaring, his mind and body wild with carnal need. Lying there in the bed with her straddling him, he was losing it, a fierce bundle of nerve endings sizzling with the painful tightening of his lower body and demanding release.

  Roxy moved slowly, her tongue wrapping around the rigid stalk, her lips gently scraping her teeth down and back up several times while her fingers caressed the loose skin. Taking a breath and looking again at Jake's immense cock pulsing in her hand, she bent and lightly flicked the tip of her tongue along its underside and licked down its length almost to his testicles.

  Fighting to control himself, Jake jerked spasmodically. He raised his hips and pumped into Roxy's mouth. A loud male groan escaped deep and long as she began to pick up the pace, her hands moving quicker and harder as she slowly drew his penis in and out of her mouth, her tongue licking at the ridge behind its head.

  Finally, Jake grabbed her head between his palms, holding her down on him. The friction of her hands on his flesh and her gentle sucking, had popped beads of perspiration on his brow. He thrust upward again to bury the length of his cock in her mouth. Breath was driven from his lungs in a single shout when he came, spurting his cum into her mouth. His body spasmed with pleasure so intense he was forced to let go of her head. Eyes closed, he fell back against the fluffy bed pillows.

  Roxy snuggled up next to Jake. Without opening his eyes, he sighed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders and drew her against his big body, pulling a sheet up over them. "Let's take a nap, Rox. We both need a short rest."