“Would you like some coffee? I make a mean cappuccino.” He walked to the fridge and hauled out two small glass bowls.
“Tiramisu?” she asked. At his nod, she said, “Cappuccino would be perfect with that.”
“Awesome. Why don’t you grab the tiramisu and some spoons and get comfortable in the living room?”
Chapter 7
Trevor laid his hands on the edge of the counter and sucked in a deep breath.
It hadn’t occurred to him that after sharing his body with her, he’d have to share so much more. So many questions and too many others she might ask that he might not want to answer. He didn’t want to think about because if he did, it might break open the walls he’d carefully constructed over the years to hold back the emotions that were too hard to handle.
Maggie threatened all that with her welcoming smile and caring nature. He sensed that’s why she was asking all the questions, because she cared. And once again that rocked him to the core because he didn’t know how to handle it. Didn’t know how to keep that from creating little chinks in the wall until it came down and he could feel again.
But not just pain, the little voice in his head urged.
What would it be like to feel joy again? Or happiness? Or maybe even love?
He pushed off the counter and prepped the espresso machine. In no time at all the full-bodied smell of rich dark coffee permeated the kitchen as the espresso dripped into the two cups he’d placed there. He poured out some milk into a small metal pitcher and steamed the milk until it was frothy and hot.
Topping off the espresso with the milk, he grabbed the steel bowl with the sweeteners, put everything on a tray, and headed into the living room.
He’d told Maggie to make herself comfortable and she had. She sat with her legs tucked under her in the middle of the leather couch. The robe draped casually over her legs, exposing the lush length of them, and gaped open at the neck, revealing her enticing cleavage.
His hands shook with the thought of touching her again, rattling the cups on the tray and spilling a bit of the cappuccinos onto the saucers.
“Need some help?” she asked innocently.
“I’ve got it, thanks,” he said as he placed the tray beside the two bowls of tiramisu and glanced at the couch.
He sat and she scooted a few inches closer until her knees brushed against his thigh. As she leaned forward to take a coffee cup, the robe totally fell away, giving him a long glimpse at the beautiful breasts he’d tasted and touched and savored earlier that night.
His cock jumped to life immediately and as she sat back, it was obvious that she’d noticed his reaction.
With a knowing smile on her face, she sipped the coffee, but winced. “It’s a little too hot. We may have to wait a bit to have it.”
She placed the cup back down, revealing her body to him again in the process, and he was pleased to see her hand was none too steady either as she set the cup back on the saucer.
He knew what he wanted to do during the wait that was supposedly necessary for the coffee to cool down, but he wasn’t going to force the issue.
“What are you thinking, Trevor?” she asked as laid a hand on his thigh and stroked up and down, evading the one place where he wanted that hand the most.
“That I don’t want to push you into doing something you don’t want to do.”
“Like making love again?”
“Like fucking again, because I can’t promise anything more than that, Maggie. I’m not the kind of guy you want to fall in love with because I’ll break your heart.”
Her hand stilled on his thigh and as he met her glance, it was inquisitive and sad. “Why do you say that?”
“Because I don’t want to care for someone else. I don’t want to be responsible for someone else and how they feel.”
“I call bullshit on that one,” she said, but with a bit of playfulness and the spunk that seemed to be inherently Maggie.
“You do, do you?” he asked with the same kind of lighthearted tone in her voice.
“I do. You care for your team and your friends. You cared for your mom. You even care for your father, SOB that he is if you don’t mind my saying.” She started to stroke his thigh again, her touch sure and comforting and arousing all at the same time.
“I don’t mind you saying,” he said and chuckled.
“Good. So as long as that’s settled, I think it’s time for dessert.” She grabbed one of the tiramisus and a spoon, scooped up a big piece, and brought the spoon to his lips.
He arched a brow. “You intend to feed me?”
“Maybe,” she answered and as he shifted to close his mouth on the spoon, she tilted it and the gooey mix of mascarpone, espresso-soaked lady fingers, and whipped cream spilled down the front of his t-shirt.
“Damn. Now you’re going to have to take it off.”
He rolled his eyes and barked out a laugh. “Are you always this determined?” he said even as if he was jerking the soiled t-shirt off and tossing it aside.
Pleasure swept through him at the way she dragged in a shaky breath and her emerald gaze darkened at the sight of his bare chest.
“My turn,” he said, snatched the spoon from her and scooped up a dollop of the tiramisu.
Maggie’s hands shook as she braced them on her thighs and leaned toward him as he held out the dessert for her. At the last minute, much as she had done, he slanted the spoon and tiramisu plopped down onto the swell of her right breast.
He set aside the bowl and spoon. “So sorry. I’ll have to clean that up.”
He bent his head to lick away the sweetness. Long, slow, sensuous licks of his warm tongue all along the edge of her breast.
She cradled the back of his head and the silky strands of his short hair. Moaned as he nuzzled aside the robe to suck on her taut nipple, drawing the tip in deeply. Caressing her other breast with his fingers, the tug and tweak against the sensitive tip reawakening the needy pulse and throb at her core.
She shifted to her knees to get even closer and he swung his legs up so that she was straddling his thighs. She dragged herself across them, the denim rough against her nether lips and clit, offering some satisfaction, but not enough.
Working quickly, she undid his zipper and freed him from his jeans, thankful that he’d gone commando after their earlier encounter. She stroked him, loving the smooth feel of his cock beneath her hands. Spreading the first little hint of pre-cum all along the head of him, causing a shudder to rip across his body.
“Maggie, I want to be inside you. I need to be inside you,” he said and gently teethed the tip of one breast, making her shiver from the sensation of the pleasure-pain.
She rose up on her hips and guided his cock to the center of her. She was so wet from wanting him. Wet and throbbing as she took just the tip of him into her pussy and sucked in a sharp breath at the feel of him stretching her open.
He looked up at her then and threaded his fingers through her hair. “This is so good, Maggie. The way you feel all around me. I want to feel you holding me tight as you come.”
God, she almost came right then and there with his words. She was trembling, her clit pulsing as she slowly sank down on him and waited.
He made her feel so full, so whole. He was so thick and long and hard. So perfect inside her that she didn’t want to move.
She wrapped her arms around his head and held him close as he returned to her breasts, suckling and caressing her. With each gentle pull of his mouth, her pussy clenched and throbbed, drawing soft cries of pleasure from her and a long low growl of desire from him.
“Ride me, Maggie. Take us over,” he pleaded and brought his hands down to her hips to help guide her as she finally shifted her hips, rocking forward, her clit rubbing along his belly. Her pussy slick as it glided over the hot smoothness of his cock.
“That’s it, babe. That’s so good,” he said, urging her on with his words and his hands as he dug his fingers into the soft flesh of her buttocks. His mout
h was on her breasts, doing all kinds of wonderful to her nipples.
Heat built with each shift of her hips. The movement sent a pulse of desire through her that soon become a stream of vibration at her clit and inside her pussy. She arched and tossed her head back, lost in the sensations buffeting her body. The rough fabric beneath her thighs. The warm wet of his mouth. The hard grasp of his hands helping her move on him.
His short hair was soft along the sensitive skin of her arms as she held him to her, never wanting to let go.
Never, she thought as with one rock of her hips, her climax exploded through her and she ground down on him, needing him deeper. Wanting him to feel every caress of her muscles and the spill of her juices along his cock.
He groaned and raised his head to kiss her. He swallowed her cries of pleasure as her orgasm ebbed, but then he eased her onto her back, cradling her body as he reversed their positions. Pumping his hips into her, slowly at first, but as her release rose up again, he moved ever faster until with one rough push that had her shifting across the couch cushions, she came again and pulled him over with her.
Chapter 8
Trevor was lost in the feel of her all around him. Beneath him, her curvy body accepting every hard edge of his perfectly. The tight tips of her breasts brushed along the soft hairs of his chest, making his dick jerk again even though he’d just had the most fucking amazing climax of his life. Except maybe for the one before this which made him wonder if every time with Maggie would be this good.
He braced himself on one hand and gazed down at her. At the sexy tilt of her lips in a half smile and the deep emerald of her eyes, filled with satisfaction and peace.
She ran her hand across the short strands of his hair. “That was wonderful.”
“Damn right, it was,” he teased and let himself drop down to rest his head on one hand, his body melded to hers from hip to breasts. “I’m not too heavy, am I?”
“No, you’re not,” she said and ran her hand along his side, pausing along the uneven skin, alternately smooth and rough, that marked where he’d been injured.
She shot only a quick look down, not that she’d be able to see much from the position they were in, but the earlier peace he’d seen in her gaze evaporated. “Is this where – ”
“I was shot. Caught some shrapnel as well. It could have been worse,” he said and looked away, not really wanting to get into it any more than he wanted to talk about why he had joined the service or why he and his father were at odds.
To her credit, Maggie didn’t ask for more, although he worried how much longer she’d be that understanding if he kept on pushing her away.
“I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Yeah, I am okay. Better than okay,” he said and dropped a quick kiss on her lips before easing out of her and standing to close up his jeans, but she laid a hand on his thigh, stopping him.
“You’re not going to get off that easy, Trevor. You still owe me dessert and coffee and you might as well get comfortable while we finish dinner.”
That sexy smile was back on her face as was the glitter of mischief. It yanked a smile from him and he honored her request, shimmying out of his jeans and kicking them aside. He sat back down on the couch, butt naked, and knew he could never look at the sofa again without remembering what he and Maggie had just done on it. What he hoped they’d do again, although his big king-sized bed would be much more amenable to what he had in mind.
As she had before, Maggie sidled close to him and tucked her legs beneath her. She made no effort to close the robe, what was the sense. He’d seen all there was to see and loved it all. Loved seeing her so comfortable in her own skin and against him, of course. Even that slight and subtle skin-to-skin of his thigh along hers had him imagining other things. Had him growing harder as they sipped their now lukewarm cappuccinos and fed each other the tiramisus he’d made.
She had to have noticed his growing arousal, but she didn’t push or press. She just sat beside him, that flirty smile on her face. She seemed totally at ease with him as if they were long time lovers and there was nothing unusual about the two of them sitting there, sharing food, coffee, and talk. Simple safe talk.
“I remember there were a lot of Sullivans in town,” he said as he ate the last forkful of tiramisu.
“We’re a big family. Six of us plus a lot of cousins,” she said and set aside her now empty bowl. She picked up her cup of coffee and held it with both hands, almost as if she needed something to do with them.
He understood. It was taking all his willpower not to touch her again.
“Six of you? Where do you fit into that horde?” he teased.
“Kind of in the middle. Two older siblings. Liam and Bridget. Liam’s a lawyer and Bridget is in the Army. Aidan and Finn are twins. Aidan’s in ROTC, but Finn’s an engineer. The baby is Molly and she’s still in high school,” she said and finished off the coffee.
“And you’re between – ”
“Liam and the twins. Like I said, kind of in the middle. Bridget is the oldest.” She shrugged and with all the dessert and coffee gone, the first hints of unease started to leak into the otherwise peaceful moments.
“You’re an only child?” she asked.
“Yep, just me, although I have a bunch of cousins, mostly on the Italian side of the family.”
Her smile broadened and her eyes lit up with pleasure. “I kind of remember them. The Garibaldis, right?”
He nodded and grinned. “They went to school with you and your family.”
“I think Bridget may have dated one of them. Small world.”
“Yeah, it is a small world, but that still doesn’t explain what you’re doing here with me,” he said, finally asking the question that had been at the back of his mind ever since he’d opened the door and found her standing there.
“I came to tell you about your dad,” she said, but looked away, as if afraid that he’d see too much on that expressive face and in those eyes that revealed so much of what she was feeling.
He put his thumb and forefinger on her chin and applied gentle pressure to urge her face upward. “I get that, but I’m not talking about that and I think you kind of know it.”
“You just want to hear how sexy you are, is that it, Trevor?” she said playfully, but her eyes glinted with the hint of tears.
He understood. She wasn’t ready to reveal her secrets any more than he was. That was fine for now, but maybe later . . .
He wasn’t even sure there would be a later. Dinner and dessert were done and she really had no reason to stay, but he wanted her to. He wanted her in his bed. He wanted to make love to her all night long.
“So how sexy am I? Sexy enough that you’ll stay a little longer?” he asked with an arch of his brow.
She pursed her lips and looked upward, miming that she was thinking about it until with a full smile, she said, “That’s a definite maybe.”
Relief swept through along with a mix of emotions he really didn’t want to fully consider.
He shot to his feet and offered her his hand. “Let’s go to my bedroom. It’s way comfier than this couch.”
“What about the dishes?” she asked and motioned to the dirty plates and cups on the coffee table.
He barely glanced at them as he tugged on her hand and drew her down the hall. “We’ll deal with them in the morning.”
In the morning, Maggie thought as she followed him, her hand tucked tight in his. As they moved down the hall, she caught sight of his uniform hanging on a door knob and the flash of colors on the jacket caught her eye.
She stopped short, forcing him to do the same.
He tracked her gaze to the ribbons pinned on the jacket.
“That’s a purple heart, but the one next to it. The blue, white, and red one. That’s a Silver Star,” she said, pointing to the ribbon.
“Yeah, it is.” He shrugged, still uncomfortable with the award. He’d only been doing what he’d been trained to do.
“That’
s a BFD, Trevor,” she said and ran a finger along the ribbon.
“It’s no big deal to me . . . and how did you know what that is?”
“My sister Bridget got a Bronze Star last year. I was looking up what the medal meant and they had a whole rundown on all the awards. You’re a hero, Trevor. Why do you act as if it’s nothing?” Not that she expected him to swagger around showing it off to the world, but he was actually acting as if he didn’t deserve it. As if he hadn’t done something so amazing, that he had gotten one of the highest honors bestowed in the military.
“I was just doing my job,” he said and tugged on her hand again, urging her toward the bedroom.
She detected avoidance again much like when she’d asked him why he’d decided on the military. Maybe by the time the night was over, she’d have the answers to both those questions and maybe, just maybe, this one last night would turn into something more.
That hadn’t been her goal when she’d come to tell him, but now, after meeting Trevor and starting to peel away some of the protective layers he’d wrapped around himself, she wanted time to peel away the rest and truly understand the intriguing man she was uncovering.
The amazing man that she was possibly falling in love with.
His bedroom was as neat and tidy as the rest of the house. Militarily neat, it occurred to her as she swept her gaze across the surface of his dresser where a few photos sat beside a case with a number of high end watches and another jewelry box.
She caught a glimpse of Samuel Mason in the photos and another of his mom. She vaguely remembered her from the country club. She hadn’t really been a regular there unlike her husband and son, maybe because she’d married into money and being at the fancy place wasn’t in her comfort zone.
Come to think of it, his mother had probably preferred the rambunctious Garibaldi clan and spending time with them to the upscale club.
At the edge of the bed, Trevor finally paused and stood there, gazing at it kind of as he’d never seen it before.
“What’s up?” she asked, wondering at his hesitation.
Take a Chance Erotic Romance Box Set Page 18