Harley put his hand on my knee, instantly comforting. I took a deep breath and kept going. I needed to get this story over with.
“Shawn accused me of cheating on him and said he wanted a divorce. I knew this was his way to get out of the marriage and not look bad. He would be free to be with Celeste or whoever else he was fucking. He could marry his mistress before anyone found out about her.” I sucked in a shaky breath. “To make it worse, Shawn wanted full custody of Chloe because I was a cheating slut who didn’t deserve anything, he told me and anyone who would listen, including my parents, who believed every word of it.”
“Em, none of this was your fault,” Harley tried to comfort me. I nodded.
“I know that now. But it was a horrible time in my life. Shawn was smart enough to take pictures of Mike and me at the park. We only hugged once, and even though Shawn was really the cheater and had beaten Mike to a bloody pulp, the judge gave him custody because he had clout with the courts. I didn’t stand a chance. We got divorced, Shawn took Chloe from me, and I moved in with Kellan.”
Harley’s face was a mask of fury when I looked at him. Though I was glad to see his protective side return, there was no need for him to get upset. I smiled at him. “You can’t change the past, Harley.” He nodded, but the look of hatred on his face didn’t dissipate.
“After I lost custody, my parents wanted nothing to do with me. Finally, one day, Kellan decided he’d had enough. You can imagine the state of mind I was in. I started having daily panic attacks. Really bad attacks that put me in the hospital several times. Kellan told our parents Shawn was the problem, not me. That he was the cheater. My father is very close to Kellan.” I smiled sadly. “Thank God he listened and believed him. He convinced my mom of the truth. My parents paid to hire a good attorney who established joint custody for me after a long, drawn-out battle. But, finally, it happened, along with the agreement that I had to enroll in college or a program and get a job. I had no problem with that. I’d always wanted to be a massage therapist. I just didn’t have the money to pursue it. Shawn would never have let me work. So, once again, my parents came to my rescue and paid for my schooling.”
I finished my beer, and Harley got up to get me a new one. Untwisting the top, he handed it to me. “So, how are things now? Do you still have joint custody?”
“Yes, but Shawn is still his controlling asshole self. He threatens me with full custody and watches my every move.” A single tear slipped down my cheek. “The worst part is that he really doesn’t care about Chloe. He hired a live-in nanny to watch her the entire time he has her. The nanny takes Chloe to preschool, puts her to bed at night, and does everything else in between. He’s just a piece-of-shit control freak.”
I paused to look Harley in the eyes. The next part was the most important part of all. The part I needed him to hear, to understand.
“Harley, that’s why I can’t move to Colorado to be with you. Shawn has me on a short leash and would never allow that to happen. Since he and I share custody, he would never let me take Chloe out of Olympia.”
I watched the anger on Harley’s face deepen, but I also saw understanding. Tears rolled down my face, and Harley put his palm to my cheek, wiping them away with his thumb.
He looked at me, and I saw the sadness in his blue eyes.
“I had no idea, Em. Now it all makes sense. I’m really sorry,” he told me. His hand moved behind my neck, up into my hair. I needed Harley. I needed him to hold me tight and to make me feel needed and protected.
As if he heard my thoughts, Harley pulled me into his arms, and I wept against his chest. He held my head firmly to him and whispered in my ear. “I can fix this. Let me.”
I nodded into his chest, but I knew that he couldn’t fix it. I’d be damned if I wasn’t going to let him try. “Harley, I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you,” I sobbed into his collarbone.
His body smelled of a mixture of cologne, sweat, and my tears. I breathed it in and cried some more. Harley lifted my chin so that he could look into my eyes.
“Em, there is no reason to be sorry. Yes, I wish you’d told me sooner. But I can see why it was hard for you to do so. Thank you for telling me.”
With that, he bent and kissed my lips. It was a feeling I thought I would never experience again.
Harley
I wanted to comfort Emily. Seeing her in this state of mind was difficult for me because I wanted to fix what ailed her. I kissed her salty lips and tear-stained cheeks. I kissed her until I felt her body relax in my arms.
She looked at me, and I saw a need that matched my own. The hard-on I’d had earlier returned with a need to be satisfied. I had never felt such intense, intoxicating desire. I yearned to please, to give, to share, and to completely possess her. I wanted Emily Mayberry to remember my touch forever.
My lips found Emily’s again, her lips achingly soft. She trembled, and I tightened my embrace around her small body. I kissed her deeply as she parted her lips so my tongue could explore her inner sweetness.
With a soft moan of pleasure, her arms crept around my neck. Her swelling breasts were crushed between our locked bodies. The time between us didn’t exist, as if we’d just parted ways yesterday, not two months ago.
I twisted Emily’s body and sat her on my lap with her legs wrapped around my hips. I pushed the hardness in my shorts between her parted thighs. My hand moved to her breast, her flat belly, then impatiently pulled her tank off. I unhooked her bra and yanked it from her bosom so I could caress her plump breasts with my fingers, pulling at the pink nipples. Her body shivered under my touch. I bent my head and curled my tongue around the stiffness, hungrily sucking on her hard peak.
My body was on fire. Emily pushed her bottom against my groin, and a muffled groan escaped my lips around her plump breasts. I captured her hips and ground her bottom against my swollen cock.
Pleasure exploded along the length of my shaft. I moved my hands to her shorts and undid the button. Turning and lowering Emily onto the bed, I stood and pulled her shorts and panties off with one motion. Gloriously naked, the V of her parted legs begged for my attention.
I stepped out of my gym shorts and reached for a pillow. I leaned over Emily’s naked body and slipped it under her head. Silky yellow strands of hair splayed out across the whiteness. I moved my mouth to hers, capturing her hot lips. I slowly, erotically, probed my tongue through her lips, making her aware of how much I wanted her.
She put her hands on my hard chest and slid them over my shoulders, delighted in the texture of my molded body. Her fingers trailed up my neck and moved to my beard as she gazed deep into my eyes. She brushed my sideburns and curled her fingers sensuously through my thick, spiky hair.
Instinctively, her trembling body arched up close to mine, seeking more. With a groan, I lowered my body over hers, and her legs entwined with mine. Her bare skin felt hot against my nakedness. Her arms locked lovingly around my neck, and her erect nipples rubbed sensuously over my chest.
I moved my mouth down her body to her womanhood, seeking the most intimate part of her. I opened her legs gently and pushed my tongue into her hot pussy. Emily clutched my hair and arched her hips up to meet my mouth, wanting more. A little gasp of ecstasy broke from her lips as my tongue pushed inside and created havoc deep within her pussy.
She writhed, her fingers moved helplessly over my head and shoulders, her body shaking violently. I probed her insides until I felt her body raise in an undeniable tremble. She arched her back against my mouth, and I pushed inside even deeper. I tasted her pussy juices as she came all over my face.
When her body went limp with a sigh, I rose to my feet between her parted legs so I could look at her. I had surpassed my own hungry desires to please Emily, but I couldn’t control myself any longer. I grabbed her ass and pulled her body to me.
I drove my long cock into Emily’s warm, lustrous wetness. She was so tight, so smooth and hot around me that I gasped for breath as I fucked her hard. My body shook
, and I closed my eyes, enjoying every thrust. Staying deep within, I lay on top of her, and the feeling of pure pleasure ripped through my body.
I was in Heaven. I didn’t want it to end as I slowly, tantalizingly, thrust my cock deeper into her. Her breaths came quickly beneath me, her fingers warm and encouraging as they caressed my broad shoulders and back. The pleasure was too much, and I shook, out of control.
Emily met my every thrust, her body arching and surging up against my sensuous rhythms. Her legs tightened around my hips, possessing me as I had possessed her. Mind-bending sensations peaked in my groin, and I noticed Emily’s body go rigid again.
“Look at me, Emily. I want to watch you come,” I ordered her.
Helplessly she did as I commanded, her blue-grey eyes drowsy with passion. Her body shook, and she moaned as she arched up uncontrollably against me. My eyes stayed on hers and watched as pleasure flowed through her entire body, her features softening as the orgasm subsided.
Watching Emily come caused ecstasy to erupt hotly through my body. I growled low in my throat, my body thrusting deeply into hers. My full cock throbbed inside of her, and I released. Throwing my head back, I moaned out of control as spasms overtook my body. With one last twitch, my body went limp, and I slumped against her.
We laid there for a long time, our bodies entwined, each one unwilling to be the first to break the sweet spell woven between us. We spoke of nothing; we had no need for words. We drifted off into a light slumber, content in our embrace.
* * *
I felt Emily stirring in my arms. We laid as we had fallen asleep, legs entwined, my strong arms holding her tight against my body. I didn’t want to wake up yet. I didn’t want to let her go. But that was selfish of me, and I opened my eyes. The sun was just starting to peek in from the windows. Emily was gazing at me, a sluggish grin on her lips. I kissed those lips tenderly for a long moment.
Pulling away, she said, “I have to get home. Kellan is staying with Chloe, but he works tonight. I don’t want to keep him too long.”
Those were words I didn’t want to hear. I didn’t respond, our eyes locked.
“Come with me?” she asked.
“You want me to meet your daughter? And your brother?” I asked her, surprised since she’d hidden them from me for the majority of our relationship.
She smiled at me. “Yes I do.” Her statement was simple and without hesitation.
I nodded, though the idea made me a little nervous. But I only had a couple of more days in Olympia, and I wanted to spend as much time with her as I possibly could. “Do we have time for a quick shower?” I asked seductively.
“We have time,” Emily smiled.
I climbed out of the oversized bed. Before Emily could move, I easily picked up her petite, naked body, and carried her to the shower. The water poured from the showerhead steamy hot, and I held her in my arms as it sprayed over us.
I turned her so her back was to me and squeezed shampoo into her hair. I massaged her head before rinsing it out. I grabbed the body sponge and lathered it up with a bar of soap. Sensuously, I washed Emily’s entire body, paying special attention to her perky breasts and between her legs.
She turned to me and saw my hard-on. With a wicked grin, she knelt and kissed the tip of my dick. Instantly, my cock sprang to my full length. She put her lips around the crown and circled it with her tongue.
I moaned in utter pleasure as I watched her. Emily took the entire length of my throbbing cock into her mouth. She sucked hard, and a groan formed deep within my throat. My cock, surrounded by her soft, firm lips, twitched in her mouth. Emily noticed and took in my entire length, squeezing my thick shaft with her lips. With another twitch, I exploded inside her mouth and watched in total ecstasy as Emily drank every last drop of my cum.
She stood up, flashing her sexy smile, “You can pay me back later.”
Still recovering, I nodded. “You can plan on it.”
Her smiled deepened as she faced the water, drank some, and swished it around her mouth. We stood in each other’s arms until the water started to cool.
We quickly dressed and got ready to leave the room. I offered her a long-sleeved shirt since all she had was yesterday’s tank top. I watched as she seductively buttoned it up and slipped into her shorts. My cock responded.
What was the woman doing to me?
Outside, I asked where her car was when I didn’t see it in the lot. “I drove Kellan’s truck since it was blocking me in,” she informed me, pressing the keychain to activate the alarm. On the other side of the lot, I heard beeping and saw the Chevy Silverado light up.
“I’m over there,” I said, pointing to the BMW. “I’ll follow you.”
With a nod, Emily headed to the truck. I watched her pull herself up into the cab and start it before getting into my car. I followed the black truck around the bay and back to her house. I let her park first, blocking her driveway, and pulled up to the curb in front of the Silverado.
She got out of the truck and waited for me. She was biting her lip, meaning she’d been doing some thinking.
“What’s going on in your head?”
“You’re okay with meeting Chloe?” she asked, her eyes on mine. “I mean, I invited you, so I’m okay with it, but I didn’t even ask you if you were.”
“I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t,” I told her honestly. On a lighter note, I added, “I’m more worried about your brother. I saw how big he is.”
Emily chuckled. Her smile lit up her face, and I was relieved to see it again. “Come on, Kellan’s a big teddy bear,” she said happily.
I followed her up the porch steps and waited as she unlocked the door. As soon as it was open, I heard the little girl from yesterday yell out in glee, “Mommy, you’re home!”
Emily stepped through the threshold and waved for me to follow. “Hi, baby,” Emily crooned to the child as the girl ran to her with opened arms. She bent to greet her.
The little girl threw her arms around her mother’s neck and hugged her tightly. Her eyes met mine, and her little brow scrunched as she stared at me. “Who’s the man, Mommy?” she asked in a small voice.
Emily remained in a stooping position so she could talk to the girl on her level. “Chloe, I want to introduce you to a friend of mine.” I squatted beside Emily so I could greet the little girl face to face. “This is Harley. I met him when I went to Las Vegas, and we became friends. He came to visit me for a couple of days.”
“Hi, Chloe, it’s very nice to finally meet you,” I told her, extending my hand out to her.
Chloe looked at me with her big, almond-shaped eyes an identical blue-grey as her mother’s, regarding me for a moment in silence, considering what her mother had told her. Then she grinned and said, “Hello, it’s nice to meet you, Harley.” She put out her small hand and placed it in my own, gripping it hard and giving it an exaggerated, up and down shake.
I chuckled and let her shake until her heart was content. Emily laughed. “Chloe, where’s Kellan?”
“I’m here,” a gruff voice came from the kitchen. “Making breakfast. Want some? I made extra.”
“Sure,” Emily answered as Chloe grabbed both our hands and led us to the kitchen.
“Uncle Kellan, Mommy brought her friend over for breakfast,” Chloe announced.
Here we go, I thought as Chloe pulled me into the kitchen. Kellan’s back was to us at the stove as he plated scrambled eggs and bacon. He grabbed two more plates from the cupboard and filled those as well. When he turned, our eyes locked.
“Kellan, this is Harley Hunter. Harley, Kellan Mayberry,” Emily gave us a proper introduction.
Before I could speak, Kellan put down the pan and extended his hand. Eyes on me, he was feeling me out. I accepted his firm grip and shook, “Nice to meet you, Kellan.”
“Likewise, Harley,” he said with a smile.
When he smiled at me, I returned it. I was a bit nervous meeting the man who had been taking care of Emily since they were
children. I wanted to make a good impression on him, as I planned on being in her life.
“Sit down everyone,” Kellan said as he quickly put the four plates in front of the four chairs. Chloe ran over to him, and he lifted her to put her into the booster seat. Emily grabbed glasses and coffee cups and placed them on the table, along with sugar and cream. Kellan had a plate with toast on the counter, and he reached into the fridge for the butter and OJ, placing all in the center of the table. Emily poured coffee while Kellan poured OJ into the three glasses and one sippy cup.
I watched as the scene unfolded before me as naturally as could be. These two had clearly done this dance a million times before.
“Sit down, Harley,” Chloe said in a tiny singsong voice, patting the chair beside her. I accepted with a grin and thanked Emily and Kellan for the meal.
Breakfast went well. Kellan asked me a few questions about myself and the resort and told me some about himself. He worked alternating weekly shifts, one-week daylight, the next night shift, at the East Side Fire Department as a firefighter. We seemed to hit off well, to my relief, and I noticed a gleam in Emily’s eyes as we ate.
“Speaking of the night shift, I gotta run. I have some things to do before I go to work tonight,” he said.
“I’ll clean up,” I offered as Kellan got up and started to clean up after Chloe, who had made a nice-sized mess. Chunks of scrambled eggs were everywhere, even in her curly hair.
“You sure?” he asked, smiling down at Chloe. “She’s a doozie.”
“Yep,” I nodded at him. “I have a one-year-old nephew and three and five-year-old nieces. I got this.”
Kellan smiled and nodded. “Okay then, I’ll catch you guys later. He reached down and kissed Chloe on the cheek. Call me if you need anything,” he said to Emily, giving her an identical kiss.
Take a Mountain Man Home for Christmas: A Mountain Man Romance Christmas Collection Page 69