by S. Van Horne
“You deserve a date.”
“But—”
“You deserve more than me going in there and fucking you against a wall or on a couch.” Wow, that sounds really good.
“Jason.” I swallow hard. “What if I want that, though?” I dare to ask. He shuts his eyes tightly, trying to decide what’s right. I should back off. I shouldn’t make this hard on him, but I can’t get myself to. I’m finally asking for what I want from him, I can’t take it back.
“I stay. We go to bed. You don’t touch me ‘til we get there,” he orders when he finally opens his eyes. The usually aquatic blue brightness is darkened with passion. For me. He wants me.
“Okay,” I agree quickly.
“I’m not fucking you tonight, though.”
“What?”
“We sleep in bed together. You under your sheets, and me next to you over them.”
“What? But—”
“I’ll get you off before,” he announces, making my thighs clench together, the wetness pooling probably making my sleep shorts damp. He takes the first step in, and I take one back.
“I’m going to get you off,” he repeats, his voice low and sexy. He takes another step in, and I walk further into the house, my eyes never leaving him.
“I’m going to sleep with your taste on my lips and your sweet body in my arms. But that’s it.” He closes the front door behind him, the sound of his fingers turning the lock clear in the air.
“Jason…” I breathe while the air around us sparks with energy.
“Get to your room and take off your clothes, Row.”
“What?”
“You heard me.” His hands clench at his sides, and I know he’s serious.
I realize what he’s doing.
Jason Somers is giving me exactly what I asked for. For him to be in control, so that I don’t have to be. I turn around, on shaking legs, and I’m about to take a step, but he speaks again.
“Completely naked, baby. Stand by your bed with your back to the door.”
With his instructions, I tremble and walk into the room, doing exactly as he ordered.
CHAPTER FOUR
JASON
I GIVE IT A COUPLE minutes before I follow her into her bedroom. I was fucking insane coming into her house. It was one thing needing to be close to her and wanting to fucking talk so much that I’d hauled my ass to her place in the middle of the night, but a whole other thing to come inside, lock the door behind me, and order her into her room to disrobe.
Yet, here I am.
Holding on to what little control I have, I try like hell not to imagine her naked body and what it will do to my defenses. I do everything in my power to summon more control from the high heavens before I go in there.
All so I can remain a man of my word.
I’m not a perfect man. She knows all my faults. But my word has been something she could always count on, and it’s something that isn’t going to change now.
Even if it means I get the worst case of blue balls any man has had.
I’ve been in her two-bedroom, two-bathroom cottage countless times before. When she moved in, I helped paint her room and build her furniture. But this is the first time I walk in here as something different, something more.
Every step I take toward her room is full of purpose. I’m about to walk into her room not as her friend but as a man. Her man. I pick up speed until I reach her wide-open bedroom door, and my feet stop. The spectacular sight before me rivals priceless pieces of art hung up in a museum.
The room is softly lit, and it adds to the golden hue of her softly tanned skin. My mouth runs dry as I start to walk slowly toward her. Taking a deep breath, my nose flares. The room smells of her perfume and natural scent.
I stand about two feet behind her, and I soak in everything about her nudity.
“You’re fucking beautiful.” Her head drops, her chin touching her neck before she starts to argue.
“You don’t have to—”
“Shhh,” I whisper, interrupting her. This side of her surprises me. I always thought of her as a confident woman comfortable in her own skin. Looks like I’m going to need to show her exactly how damn beautiful she is.
My eyes pin to the line of her back. The way it curves and the two cute dimples over her lower hips make my hands itch to touch her. But I won’t. Not yet.
I take a small step closer. My fingers go to the hem of my tee, and I pull it up and over my head, letting it float to the floor as I fall to my knees behind her.
“Is everything—” She’s about to turn, but I smack her ass before she does. Her gasp makes my dick jerk in my pants as I watch her gorgeous, perky ass jiggle in front of my face.
“Don’t turn around.” I order. “Keep facing forward. Understand?”
“Yes,” she breathlessly pants.
I let my hands touch the tops of her feet, slowly moving my way up her ankles. “Your skin is so damn soft.” I think out loud, my hands moving upward toward her knees. I lean forward and kiss the back of her thighs. The scent of her skin and arousal is heady and thick.
I stand, and my hands move up the side of her thighs. I let them rest at her waist.
“Row…” My fingertips linger, and I position myself flush up against her back. Enjoying how good she feels, I wish I was a strong enough man to take my pants off and explore her while holding her completely naked.
Another time. Because fuck me, there was going to be another and another. I lean my face into the crook of her neck, and the heat of her body radiates and meshes with my own.
“Jay,” she whispers so softly, I can’t get myself to reprimand her. Instead, I nuzzle my nose into her neck.
“I’ve always liked the way you say my name,” I admit, my lips at the shell of her ear. My arms find themselves wrapped around her, the rough pads of my fingertips right under her bellybutton. “But I love saying yours even more.” She shivers in my arms as she leans into me. The top of her ass grinds into the hard ridge of my cock under my jeans.
“Jason?” she whispers when I give her shoulder an open-mouth kiss.
“Hmm?” I mutter and blow cool air on the spot I just tasted.
“Is this real? Or is this something we’re going to act like never happened tomorrow? I don’t think I can—” Her body is still and stiff in my arms, and I kiss the same spot again before speaking.
“I would never do that to you,” I admit. “Let yourself feel this. Fall. I will always be here to catch you. This is our time. It’s you and me. I’m not going anywhere.” Her body softens in my arms, her head tilts to give me more access to her neck, and I steal another kiss before I let my hands roam further.
“Jason,” she gasps when my fingers reach her mound.
“I’m not sure how the hell I got to be this fucking lucky.” She opens her legs further, giving me permission, and I silently vow to work to the bone to never let her down.
“Row,” my voice sounds gruff, “row, row your boat,” I start to sing slowly, so hoarsely, it’s like gravel coming out of my throat and into her ear, trying to lighten the mood before I tell her how much I love her. One step at a time. Her body proves how much she belongs to me when she melts into my touch and words. Her back presses tightly to my front.
Her hand covers mine, and I swallow hard. I pray she doesn’t put the brakes on this from happening.
“Gently down,” she softly continues the nursery rhyme, pushing my hand down, as if I need direction.
“The stream,” I groan, shutting my eyes tightly at the wet warmth I find. “Jesus, Rocio,” I rumble, and she shivers in my arms again, her wetness proof of how much she wants me.
“Jay!” She trembles, working herself into my front, my fingers skimming her swollen clit. I have no idea how I haven’t come in my pants like a damn teenager, but by the way my balls are tightly drawn up, I know I’m close.
“This mine, Row?” I ask, a finger slipping into her tight little box. I can’t help but hide my face int
o her neck as I probe my thick finger in and out of her pussy. “Tell me, Row. Give me the words,” I demand roughly, working her with my middle finger.
In and out, her sugary hot walls suck me in deep. She feels so fucking good, I can’t wait to get in there.
“Yours. I’m yours.”
“Always. You’ve always been mine. Tell me,” I press, my voice uneven as my body throbs, needing to hear her admit it again.
“It’s always been you, Jason,” she pants, her hips meeting every move of my hand, my thumb strumming her swollen clit.
“Give it to me, Row.” I can feel the way her body is already tensing up, her center tightening around my finger, and I push her pearl a little harder, changing the direction of the circles I’m pressing into her. “Fall!” I order, and she shatters in my arms. Her pussy flutters, and I don’t stop. Holding her body tighter, I make sure to prolong her orgasm as much as I can. Easing down on my touch, lightly stroking in and out of her, her wetness coats her thighs and drenches my fingers. I lick her neck and kiss her temple before taking my finger out of her.
I turn her slowly and look at her face. Her expression is soft and sated and her dark eyes hooded. I pick her up like a groom does with his bride, and she doesn’t fuss. She simply lets me, all while her face nuzzles into my neck.
I walk us to the far end of her bed, and while holding her body tightly with one hand, I pull the covers down and gently set her on the bed. After tucking her in carefully, I step away, and she grabs my hand.
“Don’t go,” she says softly. She’s half-asleep, cozy, and looks like a damn angel—an angel I want to fuck into the mattress. I think about ignoring my rock-hard cock and getting some sleep, but I know it won’t be possible if I don’t handle the situation.
“I’m not. I’ll be right back.” I lean forward, kiss her forehead, and pull the sheet up and over her shoulder before rushing to the bathroom to jerk off.
ROCIO
I watch him sprint to the bathroom and try to figure out what the hurry is, but between the orgasm he just gave me and the sleep settling in, I can’t get my mind to focus.
That is, until I hear him.
My name is groaned into the stillness of my small house, and a tingle starts up between my legs. Did he just jerk off in my bathroom? The image of his strong hands over his cock, which felt massive, is sexy as hell in my head. The water runs, and he opens and closes the bathroom door, then walks into my bedroom.
Watching him enter, shirtless and in jeans with the top button undone, is surreal. The scene is like a dream I’ve had too many times to count. But this is real, I think to myself, and I don’t try to stop the smile that spreads across my lips. He raises an eyebrow as if curious about what I’m thinking, but he doesn’t say anything. He takes off his pants, which leaves him in blue and green plaid boxers. He’s a boxers guy.
I turn to face him and watch as he grabs the extra blanket I have at the foot of my bed. He lies next to me, true to his word, over my own comforter, and his arms pull me closer to him.
“This okay?” he asks, and I nod, nestling my head into his strong chest. My hand tangles in the soft dark hair sprinkled perfectly over him.
“Sweet dreams, Row my boat,” he mumbles into my hair, and for the first time, I don’t mind the stupid nickname. As I drift off to sleep, the heat of his body keeps me warm from the inside out.
Before I even have a chance to open my eyes, I know he’s gone. The heat from his body is no longer next to me, and for a second, I wonder if I dreamt everything that happened only a couple hours ago.
Disappointed, I look next to me, and I’m right. He’s not there…not lying beside me like I had hoped he would be. Breathing in the pillow where his scent still lingers, I know it wasn’t a dream.
Did he regret what we did?
“You’re up,” his deep voice makes my head pop up off my pillow, and I sit up in bed, pulling the comforter up my nude body. He’s here.
Leaning against the doorway with a sly grin on his face, he says, “You don’t have to cover up on my account.”
I recognize that tone. He’s daring me, thinking I’ll keep myself covered, and I know I surprise him when I drop the comforter and lean up straighter, sticking my chest out. The cool air and his hot stare make my nipples pebble.
“This better?” I ask, tilting my head, trying not to think of how mussed from sleep my hair is as it skims my bare shoulder.
“Perfect,” he mutters under his breath. His tongue peeks out and skims his bottom lip. “Hungry?” he asks, his eyes finally meeting mine.
“Starving,” I tell him, never looking away.
“Rocio, be good,” he warns, and I sigh.
“I’m always good.” I smirk as he swallows hard, and his hands clench beside him.
“Row,” he growls, but I’m done waiting. I climb out of bed, naked as the day I was born, and walk until I’m standing in front of him. I’m almost forty years old, and I am more than comfortable in my skin. By the growing tent in front of his boxers, it’s obvious he likes what he sees.
“Baby—”
“Shh…” I press my finger to his lips. His blue eyes darken with lust, and his tongue peeks out, taking a swipe before his teeth nip down. His bite makes my lips part, and mischief shimmers in his eyes. Excitement like I’ve never felt before courses through me like a bolt of lightning. “Let me touch you,” I whisper, stepping on the tips of my toes, moving my hands to his biceps and my lips a whisper away from his.
Before I can lean closer to steal a kiss, he picks me up and my legs automatically wrap around his waist.
“Date first.”
“But—” I start to complain, and a needy ache builds between my legs.
“No buts. You touch me now and we won’t leave this house anytime soon.”
“Is that such a bad thing?” I ask him, and he stops in his tracks.
“You aren’t a quick lay.”
“I know that, Jason, you just said it would take all day.” I grin playfully, teasing him.
“You know what I mean,” he grumbles slightly frustrated, and I stroke his face.
“I mean something to you.”
“No.” He shakes his head, and something about his ocean like, bright blue eyes is different. Those eyes have seen the best and worst of me and have always had my back. I could drown in them and never find the surface.
“You don’t mean something to me. You mean everything.” Just like that, my playfulness washes away, and I’m filled with something else. Something bigger and more beautiful than I could’ve ever imagined. “Do you understand?” he asks, and all I can do is nod.
Clearing my throat and sniffling, I smile at him and ask, “So what’s for breakfast?”
CHAPTER FIVE
JASON
“I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU DID this.” Her eyes sparkle as brightly as the lights blinking around us in my backyard.
“Why not?” I ask before kissing the top of her head, the scent of shampoo making me hungry for more than food.
“I don’t know…how did you even have time to plan this?” she asks, looking around the deck. I have to say, I’m even proud of how it came out.
“Do you really think I haven’t thought of ways to woo you?” I ask and laugh deeply at the comical expression on her face.
“Woo?” she laughs, leaning more of her weight on my shoulder, and my arms automatically tighten around her. “Jason Somers woos, huh?”
“When it comes to finally having you, there isn’t much I wouldn’t do, baby.” I wink and don’t miss the way she bites her lower lip before sitting down on to the makeshift seating area I threw together for our outdoor dinner picnic. White twinkle lights sparkle around us, tons of throw pillows are strewn over the huge blanket, and a basket of her favorite food is sitting on top.
After I made us a quick breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast, I kissed her until we were both breathless and somehow managed to pry myself out of her house to get things ready for tonigh
t.
I stood in front of her door, ten minutes early, holding a bouquet of yellow gerbera daisies and bright red roses. She took one look at them and her eyes softened, and I knew I’d made the right choice. We might’ve been friends for a long time, and there were times she was one of the guys, but a little romance went a long way. I explained to her that the yellow represented our friendship and the red roses symbolized the new direction we were headed. With wide eyes, she stared up at me and hadn’t said a word. She didn’t have to. The way she’d slammed her body into mine and kissed me passionately said it all.
Now, here we are—Rocio sitting next to me, her body curled in close to mine, her head resting into my shoulder—and all I can think about is how this is it. This is what the good life is all about. My girl in my arms with stars shining bright above us. Something good and warm and comforting settles into my chest.
“Jay?”
“Hmm?” I raise an eyebrow and look down to my side where her dark eyes are looking up at me.
“Thank you.”
“For?” I ask her, leaning on my elbows and watching her shift and drape her body over mine.
“For this. For insisting on us having this.”
“Our first date.”
“It only took twenty some years,” she teases, and I stroke her hair, trying not to think about the time we lost because I didn’t sack up earlier and take a chance.
“I promise the rest won’t take anywhere close to that.” And that is a damn promise. I already have tomorrow planned. Hell, if it’s up to me, every day for the rest of our days will be date night.
“Are you really done with The Meat Market?” she asks, and I sigh and nod.
“That side is. The rest, the legit actual meat market, Pops’ legacy is safe. For a long time to come.”
“Good.”
“You really moving to Scottsdale?” I ask, and my eyes are glued to her mouth as she presses her lips together with guilt. My girl never planned on leaving