by Joya Ryan
“Come for me, baby,” he growled between her legs. He plunged deep, and she did.
Her body convulsed and tensed around the most powerful orgasm she’d had since . . .
Since she’d last been with Grant.
She called his name. Screamed it? She didn’t know. She was lost to the fire raging through her veins and the pleasure humming deep in her bones.
He rose to stand, and Hannah felt limp. Her skin buzzing, and her mind in a whirl of fog and lust.
And once again, Grant was there to catch her. Hold her. Not let her fall.
“You’re not worn out yet, are you, baby?” he said against her lips.
She said no, or maybe she thought it. Her brain was nothing more than bursting fireworks, and her skin was crackling with wanting his hands all over it. Truth was, her body was needy and spent at the same time. The aftershocks of pleasure were still spiraling while she desperately wanted Grant inside her.
“Please,” she whispered.
His face was against hers, his lips brushing hers. He gripped the back of her head in one hand, tangling her hair through his fingers, and tugged. Her chin lifted, and through her lashes, she saw his eyes burning into her soul.
“Please what?” he asked.
Please take me, own me, love me.
She had so many requests. She wanted to feel that calm safety that Grant gave her. Complete. There, by the ocean and surrounded by the entire world and her small town all at once, she didn’t feel alone. She needed to feel him for a little longer.
“Finish me,” she said.
His grip tightened, and he kissed her deep. His tongue was hot and sweet in her mouth, drinking her down with each stroke. His strong jaw worked against her cheek, his shaven face like fine sandpaper against her.
She knew every part of him, and she knew how all of those parts felt against her. Her eyes were squeezed shut, and her fingers were digging into his shoulders, yet she could still see the entire scene as if she floated above her body. Picturing his strong back and broad shoulders moving and bunching with muscles as he snaked his free arm around her waist and pulled her into him. Her legs spread wider, his hips digging into her inner thighs. His hard cock was hot and urgent against her slick flesh. She wanted his pants gone so she could feel him skin to skin.
Her hands roamed from his back to his sides, then up his chest. In one fierce tug, she opened his shirt, buttons flying, and Grant growled against her lips.
“Finish you, huh?” he said, then sucked her tongue quickly. “What if I’m never finished with you?”
He kissed down her neck, sucking and biting as he went. Her heels slipped against the railing, so she wrapped her legs around his waist. She reached between them and opened his belt, then his pants.
She reached into his jeans and grabbed his cock, pulling it free. She used her feet to shove his pants low, giving her better access. She was frantic, like a live wire popping in a rainstorm. She needed to touch him everywhere. Feel him everywhere.
“I miss this,” he growled against her throat. He yanked her closer while thrusting. She felt his cock slide in her hand and hit her clit. He was right there but didn’t push to be inside her.
“You can have it, just come here,” she whispered and wiggled her hips while trying to guide him into her. But he shifted, only sliding along her wet center.
“Oh, I will, and I do miss your sweet pussy, but I meant that I miss this . . .” He clung to her tighter. She kissed his neck, his cheek, his lips. “I miss you loving on me.”
His words hung between them, dancing from his breath to hers. She’d missed this, too. The need and ache and soft fall into him. She didn’t know what to say. Worried that whatever she tried to say would be exactly wrong, or perfectly right. So she kissed him. Closed her lips over his. She released his cock and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him close. That was all he needed, because she felt that hot steel surge deep inside her.
“Home,” he whispered against her ear. So low and soft she almost missed it. Was he telling her he missed his home? Telling her she was his home? She hoped for the latter but didn’t want to get swept up.
He stayed buried deep and stirred. Clutching her close, keeping her immobile against him. He had her pinned between the ledge and himself, and he owned her. Took her exactly as he wanted, just like she wanted. Deep, hard, and consuming.
He was hitting the spot inside that made stars dance behind her eyes, and she kissed him.
“This what you wanted, baby?” he asked.
She nodded, tracing his lips with her tongue. Her blood simmered, her bones rattled with the orgasm that was creeping up on her.
He thrust deeper but never pulled away. He was taking her from the inside out, and she had no idea where her skin stopped and his body continued. Complete.
Home . . .
She felt that word settle into her stomach like it belonged there. Like Grant was the new definition of that single syllable. She couldn’t reason with her own thoughts, because her skin started pricking and her toes tingled. Pleasure surged from the middle of her spine through every vein until she burned up.
“I’m coming,” she breathed. Then Grant’s name was on her lips. A chant, a prayer, she didn’t know, but he was the only thing she understood.
“I feel you, baby. I’m with you.” He buried his face in her hair and hugged her like he’d never see her again. His body tensed, and with his cock deep inside her, she caught every ounce of pleasure that shot through him.
She didn’t know what she mumbled next. She just knew she was spent.
Grant had succeeded in making her beg and barter, and now he’d exhausted her into a sex-induced coma.
Chapter Six
She still loves me . . .
Grant hadn’t gotten that thought out of his head since Hannah had uttered those words to him a few nights ago.
And what a night that had been.
He wanted Hannah more than damn near anything, and the way she pushed him, wanted to see all of him, made him want to give it. And he wanted to give her more. But she’d been tired, and in her defense, he had exhausted her.
He smiled and gave himself a mental high five that he still got his wife off so well that she almost lapsed into unconsciousness from the pleasure.
That’s when she’d said it . . .
“I love you.”
He replayed those words over and over and over.
It had been present tense and the most honest, best thing he’d ever heard in his life. He missed hearing it from her. Missed knowing it. But he did know it. Deep down, she loved him, and that was the hope he kept clinging to. And his stubborn wife was giving him crumbs to add to that hope.
“You talented son of a bitch,” Jake said from the other side of the pool table.
Grant stood, holding his pool stick after nailing a perfect shot. “This is a pretty great way to spend a lunch hour,” Grant said to his friend.
“Not so great for Jake, since he’s losing,” Gabe said from the corner, looking over the balls spread out on the table. Grant had met the deputy through Jake and Cal at the Crow’s Nest a few nights back. Since then, the guys had invited him out for their weekly Wednesday lunch session, which was a beer, a game, and catching up midweek to make plans for the weekend. Grant was liking this idea of . . . friends. He was seeing why people enjoyed genuine relationships with others. It was why he’d fallen for Hannah so far and fast. Now seeing her town and the people she’d grown up with, he was getting the notion that spending time in a place you loved with people who cared could have advantages over a big, cold city with a heartless mother and endless business discussions.
“Cal is still showing up, right?” Grant asked as Jake leaned in to take his shot.
“Yeah, I think he’s preparing his portfolio, though,” Gabe said. The man was nice and apparently well known around town. Jake kept calling him MEB, which stood for Most Eligible Bachelor.
“That guy has talent. I saw that subdiv
ision he’s working on when I drove around the other day,” Grant said and took a drink from his longneck. He had chatted with Cal about an investment opportunity and told him he’d be happy to discuss his business. But this business didn’t feel like the cold New York he normally dealt with. He knew these men—at least, he was getting to know them—and he cared.
Jake shanked a shot, and Gabe laughed. “Your game is going to hell.”
“Says the guy who struck out with my wife last year,” Jake razzed.
Gabe just shook his head. “And I still can’t sleep at night,” he teased back.
Grant frowned. “Wait . . . are you being serious?”
Both men looked at him then laughed. “Yeah, kind of,” Gabe said. “When Laura came back to town a while back, I made a run at her. We had our high school history, after all. Not like the band dork over here.” He hiked a thumb at Jake.
“Band dork who can play a clarinet while kicking your ass.”
It was clear the guys were still joking, but Grant really wanted to ask more questions. They’d all gone to school together and, at some point, had overcome differences. He wondered what having friends and a sense of belonging felt like.
“This is just incredible,” Grant said, leaning against the pool table.
“What’s that?” Jake asked, his massive arms bulging from his T-shirt when he placed his palms on the edge of the pool table.
“How you all know each other.”
Gabe laughed. “You make it sound like you grew up on Mars.”
“No, just very different. I can see why Hannah connects the way she does.”
Both men frowned and exchanged a glance. “Connects?” Gabe asked.
“Yeah, the first day I met her, she just had this kind of open personality that drew me in.” Gabe glanced down, and it concerned Grant. “You know Hannah in a different way?”
“Hannah has had a rough life,” Gabe said. “She’s tough, but she has a big vulnerability.”
Jake nodded.
“What do you mean? Her bar?”
Gabe shook his head. “Her dad. She has more patience and love than anyone I’ve ever known. But she’ll rip your balls off, too.”
Grant knew that to be true, but hearing this from people who’d known her since she was young made his heart rise in his chest. He wanted to know her like that. He was grateful he knew her in other ways. But Hannah kept what hurt her close, and Grant understood that. He just wanted to tap into that piece of her and learn her more.
Before he could get more info, Cal walked in.
“Hey, guys!” he called, weaving around the pool tables. He headed straight to Grant and shook his hand.
“Thanks so much for meeting me,” Cal said.
The soft sound of wind chimes sang from the door being opened and closed. A fresh dose of sea air wafted around. Grant could smell the saltwater taffy from the candy shop down the street on the breeze.
“Glad we could meet again,” he said. Cal placed his portfolio on the table next to Grant’s beer.
“Do you guys need another round?” Cal asked.
“I’m good, thanks,” Jake said.
“Me, too. How’s the building going?” Gabe said.
Cal smiled and tapped his portfolio. “Good. Grant and I have been chatting.”
“We’ve heard,” Jake said with a wink. “You’re giddier than you were on prom night before picking up Debbie Alberts.”
“Well, I am a handsome man,” Grant joked.
They all laughed.
“I’m going to get a drink,” Cal said. “Feel free to dig into that.” He pointed at the portfolio. With a smile, he headed to the counter and ordered.
Grant opened the file and started looking through it. Cal’s business was all laid out; the entire business plan was solid . . .
“He’s really talented,” Gabe said, glancing at the portfolio.
Grant nodded in agreement. “Yeah, he is.”
“I work with the guy, and if you’re going to bet on something, Cal and that business of his is the way to go,” Jake said.
Cal was back and sat across from Grant.
“What do you think?” he asked with clear hope in his voice.
Grant nodded and continued reading through the documents. “This cost analysis looks great. Projected growth is inevitable, and your profit margin is strong.” He flipped through the portfolio, then another page. Building log cabins with a modern edge was smart, but the fact that he could expand and make even more money outside Yachats was dollar signs waiting to be cashed.
And Grant knew good business. Which was why Cal had come to him about this opportunity to invest in his company.
“I appreciate you considering investing,” Cal said. “I’m good now and loving what I do. But growing bigger might be nice.”
“Of course it would,” Grant agreed.
“So, you’re in New York? Real estate guy? Hannah never really mentioned what you did.”
Grant smiled. Because Hannah didn’t really know. Still, this question got all the guys’ attention; they were looking at him, waiting for an answer.
“I oversee several kinds of businesses. A lot in real estate, and yes, New York is home and where my company is.”
As if the devil herself was listening, his phone buzzed in his pocket. Grant glanced at it—it was his mother calling for the eleventh time in twenty-four hours.
“You can design these rustic-looking places with modern features . . . ever consider business establishments instead of homes?” Grant asked.
Cal smiled. “I have. Got some plans written up for a few ideas. Restaurants, office buildings.”
Gabe smiled at his friend, and Jake gave him a slap on the back. The men really were friends and supported one another.
Grant nodded at Cal. He’d meant it when they discussed his interest in Cal’s company. He had a lot of ideas, all with positive outcomes. It was a matter of making all the moving parts come together, though.
“What’s completed down at the subdivision?” he asked Cal.
“The pool and lounge area, several homes, and the main community center in the center of the property.”
“I’d liked to host a get-together in one of your completed spaces. Invite some investors. I have some ideas of taking your designs beyond a subdivision. Are you interested?”
“Hell yes, I am,” Cal said.
Gabe and Jake also gave a resounding “Absolutely.”
“Good. I’ll handle the details, and my assistant will be in touch with you about the plans. Bring me some numbers and designs for various establishments. Restaurants, bars, et cetera.”
“Will do!” Cal said.
“And,” Grant continued, “I want my involvement in this to be between us. I don’t want to go telling everyone that I’m looking to expand, including my lovely wife.”
He paused to shift his glance between Jake, Cal, and Gabe. They all looked at him with seriousness, and he knew he could trust them. They all nodded.
“Okay,” Cal agreed.
“Understood,” Gabe and Jake said.
Grant nodded and shook Cal’s hand. “Great seeing you,” he said as he pulled his cell from his pocket. “I’m sorry to have to ditch out, but I have a few calls I have to make.”
“You, too. And thank you.”
Grant put his cell to his ear as he walked out of the bar into the sunny afternoon.
“Sarah, I need you to set up a party for me,” Grant said to his assistant on the other end of the line. “I’ll need Harvey out here.”
Grant made a mental note to call his attorney anyway. Harvey oversaw all of Grant’s contracts and all aspects of his business. “And this is going to be an investors’ meeting, so set up the usual. Get the boys here, and for the details of the party, use Goonies Bar for the bartender and drinks. Pay eight grand for the night and all the liquor. Go local for all the food and decor, as well.”
“Yes, sir,” Sarah said. “You buying a whole town?”
He had a lot of plans, all of which he was hoping would make Hannah’s life easier . . . especially easier for her to say yes to him at the end of his time here.
Now he just needed to find his wife.
“I can’t believe you talked me into this,” Hannah said to Laura, lighting the last candle in the bar. Several vanilla-scented candles were scattered along the bar top and tables. Tables that were now lining the walls, leaving the bar floor open. Several women with their yoga mats were in the center of the room and facing toward where Laura was stretching. The mighty shark teeth hung on the wall behind her.
Not exactly yoga studio of the year, but it was a large, open space and people had showed up, so Hannah would take what she could get.
“This is a great way to earn that extra money you need,” Laura whispered to her. “And you look great!”
Hannah looked at the twenty women who had showed up. Twenty women times twenty bucks was four hundred bucks. Which was something to go toward the money she needed. So she couldn’t scoff or be bitchy about it. It was money for her bar. The impromptu yoga class taught by Laura had been—surprise, surprise—Laura’s brilliant idea. And because she was wonderful, Laura was teaching the class for free and donating all the money to Hannah’s payment.
“Yoga Jäger Night is a new hit!” Laura said. Each woman got a shot of Jägermeister after the hour-long class. The idea of combining alcohol and exercising was the only contribution Hannah had made to this brainchild. But it got attention, so once again, she’d take what she could get. And Laura’s stepmom—of sorts—had showed up with the old biddies from downtown.
“Look at you skinny girls!” Roberta said, her massive boobs swaying in her matching neon-pink tank top and stretch pants. She pulled Laura in for a hug, then Hannah. “You both need to come over to the house more, and I’ll cook a real meal for you.”
“I know you would. All my dad talks about is your cooking,” Laura said with a smile.
“Well, I’m just so excited about this little drinking-and-stretching gathering. My smutty readers’ club was getting antsy for a new outing. You should host this every week!” Roberta said.