He opened my door and held out his hand. I took it and chuckled when he helped me down. “I didn’t think such chivalry existed anymore,” I quipped playfully.
“My momma would tan my hide if I disrespected a woman, in any way. And that includes opening doors for her.”
It must be a southern thing. While my father adored my mother, I’d never seen him open a door for her. In fact, he often allowed her to enter first. Probably because my mom would be insulted if he ever insinuated that she needed help with anything. But, I knew that wasn’t Nick’s intention and I found I liked his southern charm.
He didn’t step back to give me room once my feet were on the ground. “Did I mention how beautiful you look tonight?” he murmured, his voice a little gravely. He crowded me against the side of the truck and butterflies erupted in my stomach while sparks ignited core.
I smiled cheekily. “Yes, but you’re welcome to say it again.”
His eyes dropped to my lips as he shuffled forward until our mouths were only centimeters apart. “Baby, you are so fucking beautiful I can barely control myself.” He shifted his head to the side, and his lips skimmed over my cheek before he placed them at my ear. “I’d be more than happy to let our food get cold and eat you instead.”
Hot. I was fucking hot everywhere. But, I wasn’t sure what Nick was really looking for from me and I wanted to figure that out before I went hopping into the sack with him. I didn’t want us to get too attached.
I looked around for a distraction and that’s when I realized just where we were. “Did you bring me to the local make-out spot, Loafers?”
Nick’s cheeks dusted with pink and he glanced away. When his eyes returned to mine, his gaze was unapologetic. “The Overlook seemed like a good place to talk and get to know each other.” He grinned, and I melted at how beautiful he was when he smiled. “If it just so happens that we have a steamy make-out session…” He trailed off and comically wiggled his eyebrows.
I laughed and gently pushed him back so I could slip out of his embrace and saunter to the back of the truck. “Did you call this place The Overlook?”
“That’s what we called it in high school.”
Snickering, I waved my hand around us. “I hate to break it to you, but this is barely a hill.”
Nick mock scowled as he opened the truck bed. “It’s high enough.”
I couldn’t help the full belly laugh that exploded from me. “High enough is a mountain in The Appalachians near where I grew up. This is like the pitcher’s mound at Camden Yards.”
Nick chuckled and shook his head as he grasped my waist and hoisted me up onto the tailgate. His eyes found mine and his long fingers lingered, scorching the skin under my clothes.
Damn, he had amazing eyes. I almost drowned in the blue depths, his stare seeming to penetrate right through to my soul. How could I feel so connected to someone I just met? I broke eye contact first, twisting to reach for our food. Nick squeezed my waist gently but didn’t say anything before letting go and hopping up to sit beside me.
“So, you grew up in Baltimore?” he asked.
“Virginia,” I clarified. “Mostly.”
“What does that mean? Mostly?”
I shrugged as I nibbled on a fry. “I was unplanned. My parents lived a life free of any restraints, but they wanted me to have a place to call home, so we stayed in Virginia until I was in grade school. Still, they were afflicted with gypsy blood and had a hard time staying in one place. So, my mom decided to home school me and we traveled. A lot. When I turned eighteen, they told me it was time to embrace my bohemian blood and find my own destiny. We went our separate ways.”
“They abandoned you?” Nick asked incredulously. His tone was dark and laced with anger.
“No, no,” I assured him quickly. “My parents love me. They left me eventually, but they’d taught me to swim for years. When the time came, they threw me into the deep end. We speak every week.” I laughed as I thought about my amazing, slightly flighty mother and my hippie father. “They were right. It’s in my blood to move around and never stay in one place too long.” I glanced at Nick to find him watching me intently, his eyes probing.
“You’ve never wanted to settle down? Stay in one place? Have a family?”
“It’s just not in the cards for me,” I explained. “It may have occurred to me from time to time, but I would eventually get restless, to satisfy my need to be free.”
Nick was still staring at me as though he was trying to see into my soul. I felt as though he was able to see through the walls I erected with everyone. It was a little disconcerting, and I fought the urge to run.
“Would you though?” he asked suddenly.
“Would I what?” I couldn’t remember what we’d been talking about.
“Need to leave?” he reminded. “You don’t think a part of you longs for the stable home that you only glimpsed while growing up?”
He reached out and pushed some wayward hair back behind my ear before brushing his fingers down my cheek. “If you found someone who loved you and couldn’t bear to let you go? Who wanted to have a life and a family with you. Do you think you could be happy with that?”
His tone was soft, but his expression was fierce as he waited for my answer.
I busied myself biting into my burger, trying to avoid the sober direction the conversation had taken. “I need the freedom, to take risks, find adventure.”
“Hmmm,” Nick responded.
“What does that mean?”
He shrugged and started in on his meal. I wanted to push harder for an answer, but I was also relieved to be done with the topic. We ate in silence for a while, but it was thick with tension.
Chapter Seven
Nick
I digested everything Rayne had told me while I finished eating. Evidently, she didn’t realize the longing that could be heard in her voice when she talked about the time they spent living in Virginia. Or the fear I could hear when she talked about love and a family. She was afraid of being hurt. She didn’t believe that she could stay in one place because it was in her blood. But, it was just an excuse. No matter what she said, it hurt her when her parents left her, and she was determined to leave before someone else could abandon her.
It was clear that convincing her to stay wouldn’t be easy. But, I was one determined son of a bitch when I wanted to be. And, I wanted Rayne.
She seemed nervous and was playing with the wrapper for her food more than eating it.
“My childhood was pretty stereotypical,” I told her, trying to put her at ease. “My mom’s a teacher and Dad’s a lawyer. It’s always been expected that I would take over his practice one day.”
She brushed her hair back over her shoulder as she turned to look at me. “Is that what you want to do?”
“Yeah. Mostly,” I said with a teasing smile, throwing her word back at her.
Her smile was beautiful, and I wanted so badly to taste it. “What does that mean? Mostly?”
“I love this town. I want to spend my life here, be a lawyer, raise my family here. I stayed close to home for college and came right back here when I graduated to work for my dad. But, a part of me has always longed to travel and see the world.”
“Why didn’t you?”
I contemplated my answer for a moment. “Because I didn’t have anyone to share it with.”
Her eyes widened a little with surprise, but she quickly masked it with a smile that played at the corners of her lips. “Being alone isn’t necessarily a bad thing when you’re on an adventure. You can make all the choices, do whatever you want, anytime you want.”
“Arguing about those choices is half the fun, babe,” I teased. “And makeup sex is the other half.”
She laughed and hopped off the tailgate to gather up our trash. I joined her and together we cleaned up, throwing everything away in a nearby trashcan.
Afterward, she turned and faced the view, silent as she stared at it. I walked up behind her and slipped my a
rms around her waist. She tensed for a moment, then melted back into me.
“I can’t quite figure you out, Nick,” she murmured.
With one hand, I pushed her hair to one side, sliding it over her shoulder, then returned my arm to around her waist. I placed a gentle kiss on her exposed neck and she moaned so softly that I almost didn’t hear it. The sound caused my body to start heating up, my blood draining right down to my groin.
“I’m an open book, Rayne. What you see is what you get.”
She turned her head and leaned it back, so that she could look up at me. “You may think that, but you’re wrong, Nick Stevenson. You have so many layers and sometimes, they seem so opposite. They should clash like Jekyll and Hyde but somehow, you make them flow together.”
I arched a brow as I contemplated what she’d said. “Perhaps you bring out the Hyde in me,” I growled in her ear as I pulled her deeper into my embrace. “The guy who can’t stop thinking about ravishing your beautiful lips. Slowly peeling off your clothes and kissing every inch of your body.” She gasped, and her breathing sped up. “He wants to know what you taste like, how it feels to be buried inside you, what you look like when you come.”
She turned and lightly rested her hands on my arms, but the more I said, the tighter her grip became until her nails were digging into my flesh. Her body had coiled tight and her brown eyes flashed with hunger as they stared up into mine.
I bent my head and brushed my mouth over hers before whispering, “Let me take you home, baby.”
She was silent for a couple of heartbeats before she smirked. “Suit yourself, Loafers.”
The drive to my house was almost a half hour and we spent it in comfortable silence. I kept her hand firmly in mine, my thumb caressing her pulse point. Every once in a while, she’d shiver and squeeze her legs together. I loved how responsive she was.
After what seemed like the longest drive ever, we arrived at my home. Rayne leaned forward in her seat to see better through the windshield, her mouth slightly open as she gaped. “This is your house?”
“Yup,” I replied as I reluctantly let go of her hand to exit the truck. I jogged around the front to open her door. As she climbed out, she took in everything around her.
“Yet, another layer,” she said. “It’s beautiful.”
“I’m glad you think so.” I’d hoped she would since I fully intended for this to be her home too.
I guided her to a side door that opened right into the kitchen and unlocked it. Once we were inside, she stopped again to look around with interest.
“There is a lot to do, but when I’m finished, it will be a fantastic space.”
Her jaw dropped, her mouth forming a little O as she pivoted to look at me. “You’re doing the work yourself?” she asked incredulously.
I frowned, a little offended at her complete shock. Why was it so hard to believe that I would get my hands dirty? “With some help, but yeah, I do a lot of the work.”
“Another unexpected layer.” She smiled seductively as she sauntered right up to me. “That is seriously fucking sexy, Nick. Especially when I picture you in a tool belt and nothing else.”
Pride restored. I grabbed her shirt and tugged her closer until she was plastered against my body. Then I gripped her waist with one hand while I buried the other in her hair.
“Noted, baby. I’ll keep that fantasy in mind for the future.”
Her eyes dimmed a little at my words, but her saucy smile stayed in place. “We should definitely make that happen before I leave.”
I ignored her comment altogether, choosing my battles carefully. Instead, I swept her up into my arms and stalked to the stairs and up to the master bedroom where I dumped her onto the mattress. She laughed as she bounced, but her eyes turned molten as I reached behind me to grab my collar and yank my shirt off. Her eyes slid down my torso and back up. “Fuck me,” she whispered with something like awe in her tone. I grinned. I may sit at a desk all day, but I hit the gym six days a week and spent a lot of my weekends doing manual labor. So yeah, the polos and khakis hid a toned and muscular body.
She sat up and began to lift up her lacy top, but I speared her with a fierce look. “Stop,” I commanded. “I’ll do it.” She nodded and let go, stretching out and leaning back on her elbows to watch me.
I removed my watch and toed off my shoes, then stripped off my pants and socks until I was in nothing but my black, boxer briefs. Her gaze dropped to the growing bulge in the center.
Licking her lips as she returned her eyes to my face, I groaned and reminded myself to slow down and savor this. I put one knee on the bed and leaned over her, forcing her to lay down. I caged her in with a fist pressing into the mattress on both sides of her head.
“See anything you like?” I rumbled.
“I’d like it even better if you removed that last layer,” she smirked.
“Patience, baby.” I kissed her lips lightly, then her nose, before removing her boots and dropping them to the floor. Then I climbed onto the bed next to her and sat back on my heels. I crooked my finger at her and she sat up, bringing her close enough for me to peel off her lacy top. Next went the tank leaving her in just her bra. My eyes dropped to her full tits and my mouth watered. I reached around her to undo the catch and her bra slipped down, leaving her bare from the waist up.
“Fucking gorgeous,” I complimented as I ran my hands up her arms and down her torso to cup her heavy globes.
Chapter Eight
Rayne
I moaned when Nick’s thumbs brushed across my hard nipples and fell back onto the bed. He bent over me and licked one nipple before kissing it and moving to do the same to the other.
Moving backward, he popped the button on my jeans. He inserted two fingers from each hand into the waistband and dragged them off, taking my underwear with. Thank fuck I’d chosen to groom that area this morning.
His eyes were hot as they slid down my naked body. I’d always been comfortable in my own skin and not shy about nudity. But, something in Nick’s gaze, the intensity, the hunger, it made me a little more self-conscious. I wanted him to like what he saw; to crave me like I did him.
“Baby,” he groaned. “You take my breath away.”
I had the sudden urge to preen and mentally rolled my eyes at myself. My thoughts scattered when Nick ran his palms up the insides of my legs and pushed them apart. He licked his lips and I felt it in my core as though he’d licked right up my center. He shifted positions, so he was kneeling between my legs. Then he ran a single finger up my pussy, bringing the glistening digit to his mouth and sucking it clean.
“Mmmm,” he moaned. “Even more delicious than I imagined.” He got down on his stomach so his shoulders held my legs open and his head was practically buried in my center. Bringing his arms up, he used his thumbs to part my lips, then leaned in and took a long, slow lick.
My hips bucked and I cried out. He chuckled and the vibrations caused a shiver to skitter down my spine. Without warning, he plunged his tongue inside me and I cried out again. He started to alternate between licking and tongue fucking me, driving me out of my mind with pleasure. Then he swirled his thumb around my clit several times, coming close but never touching the small bundle of nerves.
“Please,” I begged.
“You want to come, baby?” he growled.
“Yes!” I shouted as his tongue drove inside me once more. “Please…please…”
“Give it to me,” he demanded. Then he pressed down on my clit as he stabbed his stiffened tongue inside me over and over until I was screaming and shaking with the force of my orgasm.
He licked me softly through my tremors until they completely subsided. “Fuck, that was…fuck,” he said in a gravelly voice. I felt him move away and used all of my energy to drag my eyes open.
My mouth fell open as he drew off his boxers, revealing a long, thick shaft. Holy mother of…the wholesome, boy-next-door was hauling around a porn-star dick.
He grabbed a condom
from the drawer of the nightstand by the bed and ripped open the packet. I wanted to offer to put it on for him, but I was still drained and boneless from coming so hard. He rolled it on before getting back on the bed and straddling me.
“Ready for more?” he asked with a grin.
“I don’t know if—oh, fuck!” I yelled when his teeth clamped around a nipple and bit it lightly before sucking hard. He buried one hand in my hair and sealed his mouth over mine. His tongue ran along the seam of my lips and I opened for him. He swept inside and tangled his velvety tongue with mine. His other hand worked my tits, squeezing the globes before twisting and plucking the nipples. I writhed beneath him, my body coming back to life.
I moaned into his mouth when I felt the heat of his cock pressing against my pussy. He rubbed it through my folds and I lifted my hips to get more friction. Tearing his mouth away, he nipped at my bottom lip and grasped my chin. “Look at me,” he commanded. I pried my lids open and gasped at the fierce look on his face.
Our eyes locked and I felt his swollen head push into my pussy. I was so wet, it easily slid in. But, he was big and stretched me almost to the point of pain. So, he worked his way in slowly, in and out, going further each time until he was fully seated inside me.
He stilled there seeming to savor the moment. I could feel him pulsing inside me and I squeezed my inner muscles, reveling in his deep groan. Finally, he started to move. My lids began to droop, and he stopped suddenly causing me to mewl in distress.
“Keep your eyes on me, baby,” he growled. I focused on him as much as I could. The intimacy it created started to freak me out, but then he placed his lips softly on mine. His tongue slipped inside, and he kissed me passionately, slow and thorough.
Retreating from our kiss, he stared at me with hunger as he moved. His strokes were long and languid, yet his jaw was clenched, giving away his struggle to control himself.
I wanted him to lose himself, to fuck me hard and deep. Putting my arms around his neck, I lifted my head and gently bit his earlobe before whispering what I wanted in his ear. His rhythm broke for a second and he groaned, the sound low and gritty.
Until Rayne Page 3