by Liv Brywood
He leaned his back against the wall and fought back the growing lump in his throat. What if Beth was right? What if he needed to do a better job of showing Violet how much he cared about her? Maybe that was the key to turning this situation around.
Violet paced inside the cottage as she listened to the conference call on her speakerphone. Every day seemed to bring a new problem. Now they had issues with their operating cash flow. As soon as the IPO went through, she was going to take a two-week vacation, preferably to a place with white sand beaches and little umbrellas in their drinks.
Shit. I can’t even drink now.
She rubbed her belly. Although she wasn’t showing yet, she felt different. In addition to the occasional morning sickness and exhaustion, she was grappling with the fact that she was going to bring a new life into the world. Contrary to what Aaron thought, she couldn’t wait to have a child. She’d always planned on becoming a mother—a few years later would have been better—but she’d be a great mom.
“…so we should have everything back on track by the end of next week,” Brad said.
“Great. I’ll be back on Monday morning. In the meantime—” A knock sounded on the door. “Hang on one second.”
She opened the door to find Aaron standing with his Stetson in his hand. She put her phone on mute.
“Can I come in?” Aaron asked.
“I’m on a call right now.” He didn’t need to know that the call was almost over.
“I can wait until you’re done.”
“Fine.” She unmuted the phone. “I have to go. Call me if anything comes up.”
After she hung up with Brad, she stood with her hands on her hips. If he tried to accuse her of being a bad mother again, she’d give him a piece of her mind.
“I was wondering if…can we take a walk together?” he asked.
“I don’t want to talk to you if you’re going to be a jerk.”
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
“We don’t have to talk about the baby. In fact, I think we should wait until we’re both ready to talk about it. We’re going to have to work together to raise her.”
“Or him,” she said.
“Or him.” He flashed a disarming smile. “Do you want to know the gender before the baby’s born?”
“I don’t know. But I do agree that we shouldn’t talk about any of this right now. Let’s just walk.”
When she moved past him, the scent of minty soap wafted off of his skin. He was pure temptation, everything she could have wanted in a lover, but he wasn’t a fleeting fling. They were having a baby together, so they had to find common ground.
“Were you on a work call?” he asked.
“Yes.” She didn’t elaborate. He’d make it very clear he wasn’t interested in her job. There was no point in talking about it.
“Is everything okay at work?” he asked.
“It’s fine.”
“You must have a good team if you’re willing to leave for a few days,” he said.
“Do you really want to hear about my job?” she asked.
“Yes.” He stopped and took her hand in his. “I’ve always been interested in what you do. I don’t understand why you love living in a huge city, but if it makes you happy, then I want to hear about your life.” He stepped forward and cupped her face in his hands. “I care about you, more than you could ever know. I would never ask you to move back here if you didn’t want to.”
“But you did ask me to move back,” she said.
“I know. I was hoping you’d want to move back to be closer to me, but if you don’t, I understand.”
Did he? Did he really? Or was this his way of declaring a truce?
He brushed his thumb across her lower lip. She shivered and tilted her head back, unable to resist the desire in his eyes. As he lowered his mouth to hers, she couldn’t hold back a moan. Kissing him always felt like coming home, but in a good way. Like she belonged in his arms.
With a low growl, his lips claimed hers. He consumed her with ravenous kisses which left her panting and demanding more. She laced her fingers in his hair and tugged him closer. As his arms slipped around her waist, she pressed her breasts against his chest. Her nipples tightened into taut peaks that begged to be touched.
This was so wrong. She shouldn’t be kissing him like this, but she couldn’t find the strength to stop. When his tongue invaded her mouth, her knees went weak. Overwhelmed by a mass of sensation, she let him pull her into a bed of soft grass. Several rolling hills separated them from the main house. It was unlikely anyone would catch them, but she didn’t care if someone did. She didn’t care about anything but the angle of his mouth on her throat as he spread searing kisses down her neck.
“Tell me to stop,” he whispered.
“I can’t. I don’t want you to stop.”
He groaned and lifted the edge of her shirt. His hands skimmed her belly as he moved to caress and cradle her breasts. She yanked her shirt over her head and tossed it aside.
When he captured her nipple between his lips, a shock of pure pleasure sizzled through her core. Wet and melting with desire, she dragged his shirt off. His hard abs shuddered under her hands as she stroked and caressed his smooth skin. A thin trail of hair led from his belly button lower. She reached for his belt buckle.
“Someone might see us,” he said.
“I don’t care.”
As she frantically unbuckled him, he did the same for her. Panting and desperate to touch every inch of him, she pushed his boxers over his hips. The rigid length of him pressed against her thigh. She wrapped her fingers around him and stroked him, loving the way he moaned her name.
When he slipped his fingers into her panties, she whimpered and spread her thighs. He teased his fingertips against her flesh before sliding one into her slick pussy. She moaned and reclaimed his lips, thrusting her tongue into his mouth and drawing him against her chest. She squeezed his bicep and hooked one leg around his thigh.
The pulsing beat of her heart kicked as he pushed in and out of her pussy. She’d never been so wet, so ready, so primal. He brought out her animalistic side in a way no other man could. Sex with him elicited a carnal yearning that could only be satisfied by his throbbing cock.
“Now,” she whispered. “Don’t make me wait.”
“But I want to taste you.”
She groaned as he pulled her panties off. His hands hooked under her thighs and he spread her wide. She was too aroused to be shy, so she dropped her knees open and gave him full access.
He lay between her legs with his mouth on the inside of her thigh. With long, languorous kisses, he tormented her aching pussy. And as his tongue finally licked the length of her slit, she shuddered and cupped her breasts. His hands covered hers for a moment before pushing them out of the way. He pinched and tweaked her nipples until she ground the back of her head into the grass.
Her throat arched as soft, passionate cries burst from her lips. His luscious tongue circled her clit before delving in to taste her. As her pliant flesh closed around his fingers, she quaked.
“I’m close.”
“Come for me,” he murmured against her clit.
She angled her hips, grinding against his face. Shameless and needy, she rocked against his tongue. The tension in her core twisted and coiled until she was afraid she’d break in two. She shattered against him, jerking and twisting in a feral display of total ecstasy.
But he was far from finished.
He crawled up, surging into her still-quivering pussy. She clamped down around him, milking him as her hips moved in time with his. She needed him deeper. Harder. Faster.
She grabbed his ass and pulled him deeper. Her legs locked around his back as she succumbed to a second mind-destroying orgasm. Aloft on a sea of absolute bliss, she let him take over.
His mouth suctioned onto the edge of her neck. She couldn’t be bothered to make him stop. She hadn’t had a hickey since they were teenagers, but she didn’t care.
All that mattered was the thrust of his hips and his total and complete possession of her body. Right here, right now, she was his—body and soul. The baby, work, her living situation, none of it mattered as long as they were locked in a state of delirious euphoria.
“Oh, God,” he moaned against her throat.
He sunk deep, burying himself inside her. Hot spurts of his seed filled her with warmth. She couldn’t help but smile. At least now they didn’t have to worry about getting her pregnant. The irony almost made her laugh out loud.
After one final shuddering press of his hips, he collapsed onto her. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed his cheek against hers. It took several minutes before his shaky breaths evened out. He rolled onto his side and propped his head up with his hand. He traced lazy circles around her breasts.
“Who’s in charge when you’re not at work?” he asked.
“Brad, the chief financial officer. Why?”
“Do you trust him?”
“Of course.”
Where on earth was he headed with this conversation? The last thing she wanted to think about right now was work. In fact, she didn’t want to think at all.
“I think you should stay here longer than a couple of days. I think you should stay here all week.”
“I can’t leave for a whole week. You know that.”
“You left for two weeks the last time you were here.”
“That was different. That was right after the shooting,” she said.
“You’re a workaholic,” he said with a gentle smile. “I’m not trying to make you mad. I think you need time off.”
“What would I do during this time off?” she asked. Since he wasn’t being hostile, she’d play along.
“We could go cow tipping, jump off hay bales.”
She laughed.
“Cow tipping? You’d never do anything that dickish.”
“You’re right, but I’ll think of something,” he said.
“I can’t. I have to go back.”
“Okay,” he said.
“Okay?” She arched a brow. Since when did he give up this easily?
“If you won’t stay for a week, at least go out with me tonight.”
“Like… on a date?”
“Yes.”
Before she could open her mouth to protest, he leaned over and gave her a scorching kiss. Okay, now he wasn’t playing fair.
“Where would we go?” she asked in a breathy tone.
“It’s a surprise.”
“I don’t want to lead you on,” she said softly. “I can’t have you getting your hopes up. I won’t change my mind.”
“Forget about all of that,” he said. “Come out with me. Set all of your stress and worry aside and let’s go have some fun.”
“Tonight, hmm?”
His eyes sparkled with mischief.
“I guess it couldn’t hurt to have a little fun.” After all, how could she say no to a man who could give her multiple orgasms?
Chapter 11
Aaron held Violet’s hand as he approached the ticket booth at the county fair. Carnival music blasted from huge speakers near the entrance. Children’s laughter and squeals of delight burst through the air. The scent of buttery popcorn and sticky-sweet cotton candy made his stomach growl.
“I’m starving,” Violet said.
“Me too. Let’s check out the food and then we can play games.”
“I haven’t been to a fair in years.”
The sparkle in her eyes sent a spike of pure need straight to his cock. He resisted the urge to scoop her up and carry her back to his truck. He wanted to show her what she was missing by refusing to return to Lost Hills. Maybe he was being selfish for wanting her to come home, but he had to try. He couldn’t imagine being thousands of miles away from his baby.
After passing through the turnstiles, he led her through throngs of smiling people. They passed a petting zoo ripe with animal manure before skirting a small stage filled with jugglers. When they reached the food section, he stopped.
“What do you feel like? Hot dogs, hamburgers, scorpion pizza?”
“Scorpion pizza?” She scrunched her face up. “Sounds scary.”
“I bet it’s crunchtastic,” he said with a wicked grin.
“You eat it. I’ll watch.”
“Maybe later.”
“Chicken.”
He laughed and squeezed her hand.
“There’s a barbecue pit over there.” He pointed. “How about some pulled pork?”
“Your brother would have a fit if he knew we were eating someone else’s barbecue.”
“It’ll have to be our little secret,” he said in a husky tone.
She gave him a sultry smile before tugging him toward the stall. He followed willingly. He’d follow her anywhere. Well, maybe not anywhere. There was no way in hell he’d go back to the scorpion pizza place. He’d give up his favorite boots to avoid chomping on a stinger.
“Let’s share something so we can get dessert later,” she said.
“I’m pretty hungry. I’ll eat whatever you don’t want to finish.”
His bear was ready to stuff its face, so he ordered a plate of barbecue pork, brisket, and sweet-battered onion rings. He carried the plate to a picnic area and sat on a hay bale. Violet sat beside him instead of across from him. Her bare thigh brushed against his. Since they both wore shorts and T-shirts, there wasn’t anything to block the spark of attraction that arced between them.
“Thank you for insisting that we go out,” she said. “I haven’t had this much fun in a long time.”
“And we’re just getting started.”
She flashed a smile before stuffing an onion ring into her mouth. Her eyes closed and she mewled with pleasure. The erotic sight sent blood rushing south. He shifted slightly in an attempt to adjust his raging hard-on. A piece of hay poked through his shorts into his butt cheek. It was enough pain to keep the rest of his body in check.
As he forked brisket into his mouth, she picked up hunks of pulled pork with her fingers. She ate like no one was watching, one more thing he loved about her. She wasn’t one of those finicky women always complaining about eating too many pieces of lettuce. And she had all the curves to prove it. Sexy curves. Dangerous curves. Curves that made him want to take her behind a barn and plunge into her damp heat.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“What? Uh, yeah.” He held his fork halfway between the plate and his mouth. Apparently he’d been so caught up in his fantasy he’d zoned out.
“The Ferris wheel is enormous,” she said. “A lot taller than I remember.”
“Let’s do that next.”
After cleaning their plate, he tossed the trash in a barrel. He turned to find her staring at him.
“What?” he asked.
“You look so good in moonlight.”
“Hopefully in broad daylight too,” he joked.
“You look good in any light.”
Their gazes locked. The moon glinted in her eyes, giving her an ethereal glow. He leaned toward her and kissed the edge of her mouth. Spicy-sweet barbecue sauce danced on his tongue.
“You missed a spot,” he whispered.
She groaned softly before lacing her fingers into his hair. She dragged him in for a deeper kiss. His tongue glided across hers before they tangled together into a knee-melting kiss. He’d never get enough of her lips. Never. She clearly wanted him in her bed, but what about her life? Could he ever convince her that they belonged together?
“Let’s go on the Ferris wheel,” she whispered against his mouth.
He couldn’t get there fast enough. Even surrounded by thousands of people, the minute the Ferris wheel lifted them into the air, he felt as if they were in their own little world.
A warm summer night’s breeze lifted her hair off her neck. He took full advantage by leaning over to kiss her exposed flesh. The yelling, shouting, and laughter faded into the background as her breath hitched and a soft cry spille
d from her lips. He nuzzled her until they reached the pinnacle where the wheel stopped.
“You can see for miles,” she said.
“Do you have views like this in San Francisco?” he asked.
“There are great views of the bay and the bridges, but it’s different,” she said.
“How so?”
“This is more open. Homey in a way.” She intertwined her fingers with his. “I’m glad we could do this together.”
A shot rang out. Seconds later, a burst of red sparks filled the air.
“Fireworks!”
“I arranged this for you,” he said with a grin.
As a kaleidoscope of colors sparkled against the night sky, he gazed at her profile. Crackling with life, the fireworks illuminated her pert nose and full lips. Even in the semi-darkness, she glowed with warmth. Her stuffy corporate veneer was gone. This was the woman he’d grown up with. This was the woman he’d fallen in love with so many years ago. He hadn’t been able to say the words since she’d come back into his life, but he wanted to. And now was the perfect time.
“Violet,” he murmured. “I want to tell you something.”
“Okay.”
“I—”
Her phone buzzed.
“Hang on one second,” she said as she reached for her electronic leash. “Hello?” She placed her hand over the mouthpiece. “It’s Brad from work. This will just take a second.”
He sat back in the seat and turned away from her. Damn phone. He should have made her leave it in the truck. They couldn’t even have a fun night out without her job getting in the way. She’d made it very clear that work came first and everything else came in a distant second. Her obsession didn’t leave any room for a relationship, so why did he keep trying?
He sat fuming the entire length of the call, which ended as they reached the ground.
What should have been the perfect romantic moment to confess his love for her had turned into a total nightmare. She’d never be able to think about anyone else as long as she was married to her job.
As they walked away from the Ferris wheel, he pressed his lips together. Trying to talk to her about it was as pointless as a milk bucket under a bull. And if he couldn’t even tell her he loved her, how on earth was he going to tell her about his bear?