June Kisses

by Mari Carr

  Sunnie kissed his jaw. “I knew you would.”

  “Using the girls to get my attention?”

  “Worked, didn’t it?”

  He nodded, then ran his finger over her cleavage. “Oh yeah.”

  They got into the car.

  “So…Allison,” she said, when he pulled onto the road.

  “Yeah. She had a rough year in New York.”

  “And she came back to tell you that?”

  Landon glanced over at her. “She came to say she wanted me back.”

  “What did you say?”

  He laughed loudly. “I’m sitting in the car with you at the moment, so I’ll let you puzzle that one out.”

  Sunnie punched his arm. “Smart-ass.”

  “No more freaking out?”

  She shook her head. “I’m sorry about this morning. Really sorry.”

  He accepted her apology with nothing more than a pleased smile that warmed her heart. “I know this is all new for you, Sunnie. Committed relationships. We can take it slow.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Besides, you recovered from your freak-out pretty quick.”

  “Yvonne and Kelli helped me see the error of my ways. So did the video.”

  He stopped at a traffic light. “You watched it again?”

  She nodded. “You knew then, didn’t you?”

  “Sunshine, I’m pretty sure I knew on April Fools. That second kiss just sealed the deal.”

  “So what you’re really saying is, I beat Allison by three kisses.”

  He reached over and ruffled her hair, something he’d been doing since they were kids. She shoved his hands away, grinning.

  “Wanna know a secret?” she asked.

  “Sure.”

  “I knew at April Fools too.”

  The light turned green so he started driving again. “Is that right?”

  “Problem is, I didn’t realize that’s what it was.”

  “You realize you still haven’t said the words,” Landon pointed out.

  “Neither have you.”

  Before he could reply to that, they were at his place. “Sunnie…” He leaned close to her as he turned off the car.

  She twisted in her seat and leaned forward as well, expecting him to tell her how he felt.

  “When we get upstairs, I’m going to punish you for freaking out. Then I’m going to strip you naked and do very dirty things to you.”

  Old Sunnie would have been ridiculously turned on by that prospect.

  New Sunnie wanted those damn three little words.

  Then she reared back, something he’d said sinking in. “Punish me?”

  Landon opened the door, then came around, taking her hand as she got out too. He wrapped his arm around her waist as they walked into his building, drawing her close enough that he could whisper in her ear.

  “I’m going to push those sexy jeans down to your ankles, bend you over my bed, and spank your cute little ass until you promise to never again run out on me in the middle of a fight. Especially one where I’m naked and hard.”

  Sunnie, because she was contrary, ran her hand along the front of his jeans. “Bet that hurt.”

  He narrowed his eyes, then pressed her hand more firmly against him, letting her know he was right back to the same place he’d been this morning when she left. “You have no idea. Hence the spanking.”

  She laughed as they got into the elevator, the sound fading when he didn’t even crack a smile. “You’re joking about that, right?”

  He shook his head. “Not even a little bit. Besides, I spanked you last night.”

  “Those were swats in the heat of the moment,” she sputtered. “You can’t spank me like I’m some badly behaved child!”

  “Of course I can. And believe me, the way I do it won’t make you feel like a kid.” He pressed her against the wall of the elevator, kissing her cheek, his breath hot in her ear when he said, “If I do it right, you’ll have your first orgasm that way.”

  The elevator doors opened and Sunnie stumbled to his apartment, feeling drunk even though she’d only had a couple margaritas—and that had been two hours earlier.

  Once they were inside, Landon grabbed her hand, dragging her to his bedroom at record speed as she giggled.

  “Landon, it’s a marathon, babe. Not a sprint.”

  He turned toward her once they were in his room, hands on his hips. “Pants off.”

  Sunnie unfastened her jeans, sliding the zipper down slowly. Then she began to shimmy out of the denim, letting it slip over her hips one little inch at a time, grinning as she did so. She left her panties in place. Her sensual, slow striptease was driving him crazy.

  Landon watched her through narrowed, hungry eyes. “Keep it up, Sunshine. It’s only adding to your punishment.”

  She rolled her eyes—which turned out to be his breaking point.

  “That’s it.”

  Landon strode over, picked her up and tossed her onto her back on his bed. She barely had time to push up on her elbows before he had her shoes, jeans and panties tugged off.

  “Give a girl a chance,” she protested, but Landon wasn’t in a patient mood. That point was driven home when he gripped one of her arms and flipped her to her stomach.

  Sunnie tried to lift up, to crawl away, but Landon bent over her, his chest pressed to her back.

  “Hold still,” he warned her.

  Sunnie had never been particularly good at doing as she was told. Not that Landon was giving her much choice. The man was wicked strong. He stood again, one hand resting in the center of her back, holding her in place.

  Then he spanked her ass, three rapid-fire and hard swats.

  “Ow!”

  He repeated the action, and she tried once more to move away.

  “Open your legs.”

  Sunnie stilled.

  “Sunnie,” he murmured, his voice almost a purr.

  She parted her thighs, and he ran his fingers along her slit, from clit to ass.

  “Oh God,” she whispered. “Yes.”

  She lifted her hips toward him, but Landon pulled his fingers away, methodically spanking her a half dozen more times. Her ass felt like it was on fire, but it wasn’t exactly painful. It was… Sunnie struggled to figure it out.

  It was something else entirely.

  Something hot and sexy.

  He alternated every spank with sexy strokes, playing with her clit, toying with her ass.

  “Inside me,” she begged. “Put your fingers inside me.”

  Her request earned her three more swats, these on her upper thighs.

  “Dammit, Landon!” she cried when, once more, he added pressure to her clit while ignoring her empty, clenching pussy. “I can’t take it. I need—”

  “Thought it was a marathon.”

  She shot him a looks-could-kill glare over her shoulder, but it only made him laugh. “I’m going to tell my dad and Finn you spanked me. I’m pretty sure they’ll beat you up for that.”

  He caressed her sore bottom. “I’m pretty sure they won’t.”

  She sighed. “I need—” she started again.

  “I know what you need, Sunshine.”

  Finally, he pressed two fingers inside her, and she felt as if she could cry with relief.

  “You’re so wet,” he murmured. “Wet and hot and tight.”

  She pressed her forehead to the mattress, her hips moving toward him practically of their own volition. She was going to explode, splinter apart into a million shining pieces.

  Landon moved his fingers in and out as slowly as she’d stripped off her jeans, the pace driving her insane.

  “Faster,” she urged.

  He didn’t comply.

  “Harder,” she tried.

  Again, he kept up the same gentle, slow motion. Sunnie tried to take matters into her own hands, attempting to get some sort of traction on the mattress so she could set the pace she desired. Landon’s hand on her back prevented that.

  “Please,”
she whispered, her inner muscles quivering, her heart racing. She was close, but he wasn’t giving her enough to push her over.

  “Tell me what you want.”

  “You. I want you.”

  “Promise you won’t run from me again, Sunnie. I can’t take another day like today.”

  She stopped trying to reach for more. Instead, she lifted her head, looked over her shoulder, captured his gaze and nodded. “I’m not running anymore, Landon. I’m exactly where I want to be.”

  He leaned toward her, pressing a kiss to her shoulder.

  Then he gave her everything she wanted. He’d promised her first orgasm would come from the punishment, and he hadn’t lied. With her promise still hovering in the air, he let loose, thrusting three fingers inside her, deep and hard, setting a fast pace that had her head spinning.

  She came with a loud cry, calling out his name, but Landon didn’t relent, didn’t stop.

  The hand on her back slid upwards, his fingers wrapping themselves in her hair. He clenched his fist, tugging just shy of real pain.

  She groaned.

  “Come again,” he demanded. “One more time, and then we’re going to get serious.”

  She would have laughed at that comment—what the fuck was this if not serious?—but there wasn’t a bit of spare breath in her body.

  There was no way she could come again so quickly.

  But she should have known better. Landon’s hand tightened in her hair as he withdrew his fingers, sliding one wet digit all the way into her ass.

  She trembled roughly. “Holy. Shit. Please.”

  “Keep begging me, Sunnie. I like it.”

  Every word came out alone, punctuated with a harsh breath. Sunnie felt like she’d actually run that damn marathon. “Please. God. Please. I. Need…”

  Her pussy clenched when his fingers returned, sending her into orbit once more. She pressed her legs together when his fingers finally slipped away.

  Sunnie was vaguely aware of him moving around behind her. She assumed he was getting undressed. She would have liked to watch the show, but he’d set her on fire and reduced her to ash. She couldn’t move, not even to open her eyes.

  She jumped slightly when he lightly stroked her ass.

  “Okay, babe?” he asked.

  “Not sure, but I think I had an out-of-body experience,” she murmured.

  He chuckled as he sat on the mattress next to her, running his fingers gently over her bare bottom, reminding her of the spanking. She considered what she could do to encourage him to spank her again one night…or, well…every night.

  “I hope you learned your lesson,” he said, adopting a stern voice.

  Sunnie giggled. “Um. Well. Hate to break it to you, but…”

  “But?” he prompted.

  She turned her face toward him, forcing her eyes open. “I was actually just wondering what I could do to make you spank me again.”

  He shook his head. “I wouldn’t worry about that too much. You’re an accomplished pain in the ass, remember?”

  She pushed herself to her back, then sat up, wincing slightly at the pressure on her bottom. “Ouch. Maybe I’ve changed my mind on the spanking.”

  “You haven’t,” he said, as he reached for the hem of her shirt, pulling it off in one swoop. Then with skilled fingers, he rid her of her bra.

  She lay down on her back, parting her legs, loving how natural it felt when he turned toward her, caging her beneath him.

  “How did we only just now find each other?” she whispered. “You were always there. Why didn’t I see you?”

  He kissed her softly, the head of his cock at her opening. “I don’t know, but we’re here now.”

  “I love you,” she said, her heart overflowing with the emotion.

  He smiled and kissed her again. “You said it first,” he teased.

  Sunnie narrowed her eyes. “And you better say it ba—”

  “I love you too. So much it hurts.”

  She’d never understood that saying until now, with him. Now she got it, realized she was filled to the brim with the emotion, so full of love, she felt as if she couldn’t contain it all, as if she’d come apart at the seams.

  Landon kissed her one more time, then slowly slid inside, not stopping until he was buried deep. He took her slowly at first, as they kissed, touched, stroked each other.

  Then, their marathon turned to a sprint, both of them too close to go slow. His thrusts grew harder.

  “God, Sunshine,” he said at last. “So close.”

  She closed her eyes, throwing her head back. “Already. There!”

  Sunnie came again, and Landon followed her over.

  It was ecstasy. Bliss.

  Sweet oblivion.

  Landon fell to her side, breathing heavy. “I think you should move in with me.”

  Sunnie laughed. “So much for taking it slow.”

  Epilogue

  “You and Landon didn’t have to drive me home, lass.” Pop Pop walked into his room at her parents’ house and switched on the lamp. He’d moved in with her family over a decade earlier, when Sunnie was a teenager. She’d always loved her home, loved her family, but when Pop Pop moved in, it was as if all the magic and fun was amplified. She wasn’t sure how she would have made it through high school without him there in the house.

  “Oh, I know, but we were ready to leave, and you and I both know Mom and Bubbles aren’t leaving that dance floor until they’re kicked out.”

  Sunnie’s cousin Caitlyn had married her Prince Charming, Lucas Whiting, tonight in a beautiful September wedding. Landon had been her date for the event. Hell, he’d been her date for everything since June.

  “Well, you certainly didn’t need to leave him waiting in the living room. I don’t need to be put to bed like a toddler,” Pop Pop insisted.

  “I know that. I just wanted to steal a few minutes alone to tell you something.”

  Pop Pop glanced at her curiously, then sat down in his favorite chair, patting the cushion of the one next to him. Dad and Finn had built an extension onto the house, creating a father-in-law suite, so to speak, before Pop Pop moved in. It was just one big bedroom with a nice-sized seating area, complete with his own big-screen TV.

  Pop Pop called it his bachelor pad, claiming he liked having somewhere to charm his lady friends. The funny part was, Pop Pop had never entertained anyone here besides the family. He’d lost his heart to Sunday a million years ago, and he’d never looked at another woman since.

  “Oh,” Pop Pop said, clearly excited. “A secret?”

  “Sort of, but not really. I’ll be screaming this from the rafters tomorrow. Landon and I agreed to keep it quiet until then. Today was Caitlyn’s day. And maybe Fergus’s.”

  Her cousin Fergus had returned from two tours in the military, making it back to Baltimore halfway through the reception. Sunnie was thrilled he was home to stay, and he’d been delighted to hear that she and Landon were a couple.

  “It is nice to have that boy home for good.”

  Sunnie knew Pop Pop had worried about Fergus the entire time he’d been stationed in the Middle East. “I’ve missed him too.”

  “Caitlyn’s wedding was just beautiful.” Pop Pop wiped away a tear. “I never dreamed I’d have a chance to see so many of my dear grandchildren meet their soul mates and fall in love. I’ve lived a blessed life indeed.”

  She took his hand and squeezed it affectionately, purposely ignoring that it felt thinner, frailer. Sunnie knew in her heart Pop Pop wouldn’t live forever, but damn if she wouldn’t try to will it so. There was no reason he couldn’t pull a Dumbledore and keep kicking until about a hundred and fifty or so.

  “That’s actually my secret.” Sunnie lifted her other hand, revealing the engagement ring Landon had put on her finger only a couple hours earlier. He’d pulled her out onto the balcony of the hotel ballroom, gotten down on one knee and proposed. She’d been shocked and thrilled…but she’d playfully chastised him for moving so dam
n fast. Again.

  She’d moved in with him in June, after making him promise he would be okay with simply shacking up together for a year or two. He’d broken that vow tonight. But the ring was gorgeous, so she forgave him instantly.

  “Landon proposed, and I said yes! He’s promised it can be a long engagement, but you know him. Apparently a long time to him is two months.”

  There was a knock at the door, and Landon peeked his head in. “Can I come in now?”

  “You were listening outside the whole time, weren’t you?” she accused.

  Landon shrugged, not bothering to deny it.

  “Come in here, son. Sunnie was just telling me the big news.”

  Sunnie looked at Pop Pop and rolled her eyes. “He’s incorrigible, Pop Pop. If he’d had his way, we would have announced the engagement at the wedding three seconds after I said yes.”

  “I thought you were going to wait to propose,” Pop Pop said to Landon, who grinned sheepishly.

  “Wait?” Sunnie looked at her grandfather. “You knew he was going to ask me to marry him?”

  “He asked your father and me for our blessing last week. Said he was going to pop the question over Thanksgiving.”

  “Weddings get to me,” Landon said unapologetically.

  “He cried,” Sunnie said.

  “I told you, Sunshine, I got something in my eye,” Landon insisted.

  “Just as Caitlyn was walking down the aisle?” she persisted.

  “I got something in my eye at that point too,” Pop Pop admitted.

  “You really asked for their blessing?” Sunnie asked. “Isn’t that kind of old-fashioned?”

  “Don’t give him a hard time for that, lass,” Pop Pop chastised. “That was for your father and me. A very respectful thing to do.”

  She felt warm inside when Pop Pop looked at Landon with genuine fondness. Her grandfather’s blessing meant the world to her. And given Landon’s smile, it was clear he felt the same way.

  “So, should I clear my schedule for a Christmas wedding?” Pop Pop joked.

  “Only if I can’t convince her to marry me over Thanksgiving,” Landon said, the two men laughing as Sunnie rolled her eyes.

  “That’s not a long engagement,” she said.

  Landon wrapped his arm around her, kissing her on the cheek. “Thanksgiving is a lifetime away.”