Last One to Know

by Sharon Coady

  “I get that. I’m so happy for you guys.” She bumped Leona’s shoulder.

  “I’m happy for you, too. Is it serious?” Leona whispered, nodding toward Sebastian.

  “I think it is. I like him more than I have anyone else. He wants to see me again, and he says we can have a relationship long distance because he can come see me often. I want this to work out, Leona, I really do. It feels different this time.”

  “Well, just give it everything you’ve got. You are a great catch, Heather, and you’re worthy of someone loving you. Remember that.”

  “How did I get so lucky to have a friend like you?”

  “We both got lucky.” She turned to watch Johnny; he had no expression on his face so she couldn’t tell what his take on Hark was. Her stomach was doing flips, waiting on him to finish the call.

  When he finished, he stood for a moment appearing to be deep in thought. “That was my friend Tom. He did some digging and it seems the club is legit. He has some conflicting information about Hark, so I don’t want y’all to make any decisions until I hear back from him and Carl. I’m going to give Alastair a call and let him know.”

  “Okay.” She gave him a hug. “Thanks for doing this.” She leaned close, putting her mouth near his ear. “I love you,” she whispered.

  “No problem, Leo. I love you, too,” he whispered back, sending shivers through her and making her remember what those lips had been doing to her just a few hours ago. “You aren’t cold, are you?” he teased, his deep voice rumbling through her.

  “No, just very hungry,” she replied, her voice full of desire. If they didn’t stop, she was going to be a hot mess right here in the room with Heather and Sebastian watching. She pushed him away before she got too out of breath.

  Johnny laughed and popped her on her bottom. “I’ll be right back, this won’t take long.”

  ~~~

  John walked outside and called Alastair, hoping he wasn’t waking him and Hope. “Hey, Alastair. I didn’t wake you, did I?” he asked when Alastair picked up the phone on the third ring.

  “No, we were just getting ready to start breakfast. What’s up?”

  “I heard back from Tom. The club is legit, but he’s got some conflicting information about Hark, so I don’t want y’all to make any decisions until I hear back from him and Carl.”

  “What’s the conflicting information?”

  “I don’t want to say anything until we get some more information and confirmation of what he’s learned. I’m not one to spread rumors. So let’s just sit tight for now.” John heard him sigh.

  “Sure, if you say so, John. What are y’all doing today?”

  “I don’t know yet. We just got up a bit ago, and we’re making breakfast. What are you two doing?” He was sort of hoping they wouldn’t want to come over. He was being greedy. He wanted Leo to himself today, and he was pretty sure they could easily ditch Heather and Sebastian.

  “Hope wants to do some shopping. She wants to look for something to wear for the honeymoon. I guess she figures she can find something unique here. Hell, we aren’t even getting married until next year. Women. Hey!” Alastair yelped. “What was that for?”

  “She heard you, didn’t she?” John laughed. “You’re supposed to make sure they aren’t listening before you talk shit. You haven’t learned that yet?”

  “Yeah, she’s just good at sneaking up on me. Damn Hope, stop hitting me!” He laughed. “I’ll talk to you later, John. I’m getting beat up.”

  “Yeah, later.” He slipped the phone into his pocket and made his way back into the house. “Something smells good. I’m starving.”

  “Well, come on and make your plate. What are Alastair and Hope doing? Are they coming over?”

  “No, she wants to go find something to wear for their honeymoon.”

  “They aren’t getting married for a year.” Heather shook her head. “Well, knowing her she probably figures she can find something different here.”

  John laughed. “That’s exactly what Alastair said. She could be right. They probably have some things here she won’t find in Texas.”

  “We should do something that we normally don’t do in Texas, just for the hell of it. We’ve never been to a fashion show.”

  “And I’m not going to one either. Those clothes they show aren’t anything anyone I know would ever wear,” Leona retorted, her face scrunched up with distaste.

  “We should do a line of clothes. What would we call it?” Heather tapped her lips with her finger, appearing to be deep in thought.

  “Heather’s Hip Wear?”

  “Leona’s Lame Line?”

  “Hey! I’m not lame.”

  Sebastian snagged Heather’s hand. “Be nice,” he said playfully.

  John, Heather, and Leona cracked up laughing. John could see the confusion on Sebastian’s face.

  “It’s cool. They do this all the time. If they aren’t goofing around at least once or twice during the day, something is wrong.”

  Sebastian pulled Heather into a hug. “Apparently, I have a lot to learn about you, don’t I?”

  John glanced at Leo; she was smiling as she watched Sebastian with Heather. He wondered what was going on in her pretty, little head. His friend was getting very attached to Heather. Crap, maybe he should have at least let Sebastian know a bit more about her than he had let on. “Hey Leo can I talk to you for a minute?”

  “Sure. Is everything okay, Johnny?” She reached for his hand and let him pull her to her feet and lead her outside. “What’s wrong?” She touched his cheek.

  “Do you see how attached Sebastian is getting to her? I think he really likes her, Leo. I’ve never seen him with a woman like this before.”

  “Is that bad?” Her forehead creased. “I thought you said he was nice?”

  “Yeah, he is a great guy, so here is my dilemma. He doesn’t know about Heather’s reputation. I don’t know how he is going to feel about it when he finds out. Is he going to be pissed at me for not warning him?”

  “Why would he be mad about you not telling him anything about her? Is it your obligation to follow Heather around and warn men about her? Would he have listened to you, or would he have still been interested?”

  “I didn’t expect him to get this caught up in her. I thought they might hang around until he left and it would be a fun summer memory. I don’t want to see either of them get hurt.”

  “He’s an adult, don’t you think he’ll be talking to her about her past if he is getting serious? If he doesn’t, maybe it won’t matter to him. She’s a nice girl deep down, you know.”

  He knew Leo was right but he was worried none-the-less. It wasn’t his business to tell Sebastian about her past. He might not appreciate hearing things about Heather’s past. “I don’t want any of my friends hurt, that’s all”

  “No one will be mad. I think we need to stay out of their business just like we asked them to stay out of ours.” She smiled at him sweetly as she put her hands on each side of his face and gently pulled his face closer to hers so she could kiss him softly. “Can we concentrate on us now?”

  Pulling her close he answered her question by claiming her lips again, kissing her until she was breathless. “Does that answer your question?”

  She clutched the front of his shirt, nodded her head, and moved in for more.

  “Leo, if you don’t stop kissing me like that, I am going to carry you inside and make love to you again.”

  “Okay.” She smiled up at him, her eyes darkening with desire. “I’m not going to stop you.”

  He turned, twisted the doorknob, and swept her into his arms. He carried her through the kitchen, past their startled friends. “We have some unfinished business. We’ll talk to you later.”

  “Way to be low key, Leona,” Heather called laughing.

  John carried her through the bedroom door and set her on her feet. “Look at that blush. Are you sorry we got this carried away with them here?”

  “I’m not s
orry. Did you see the look on Heather’s face?” She sat down on the bed and started giggling.

  John watched her, trying to decide if she was giggling from finding this a funny situation or if she was embarrassed. “Are you sure you’re okay? Do you want me to go back out there while you collect yourself?”

  “There’s nothing for me to collect.” Her eyes flew open and she giggled harder.

  “Now what?” he asked as he strode to the bed, slipping his shirt off and dropping it on the floor.

  “I lied!” She flung herself backwards onto the bed.

  John froze. “You lied about what?”

  “That there is nothing for me to collect.” Her eyes went to his mouth then slowly down his body and back up again. “I want the prize.”

  “The prize? What are you talking about, baby?” He stood perfectly still, afraid to move for fear she would tell him to get out.

  “You! Come here, Johnny. I want another round or two with you.” She opened her arms for him to join her.

  The corners of his mouth turned up as he moved to join her on the bed, pulling her against him. “I love you.” Before she could answer, he claimed her mouth again as his hands roved over her perfect body. He marveled at the feel of her under his hands, how soft her skin felt. In no time, he had her moaning again, which turned him on even more. When she reached down and moved her hand against him, it was his turn to moan.

  “Wait.”

  She pulled her hand away.

  “I need to get some protection.”

  “Please, tell me you don’t mean you have to go to the loft. You don’t, do you?” she playfully asked.

  “No, I just have to get it out of my pocket. I wanted to be prepared just in case.”

  “Awful sure of yourself, aren’t you?”

  “No, just hoping for a repeat of last night and didn’t want to have to climb the ladder to the loft for them. I never dreamed you’d let me get away with carrying you in here with them watching. I really don’t think you would have liked me going out there to retrieve it.”

  “Oh, that would have been embarrassing.” She put her hands over her face. “Who am I kidding? They know why we came in here.”

  John laughed and gently pulled her hands away. “She knew as soon as she saw us this morning, Leo. So what?”

  “I know, but it still sucks that she knows, since she was so positive she was going to hook me up so I lost my virginity this summer.”

  “She didn’t hook you up, so she can’t take the credit for this now can she?”

  “I guess not. Besides, it’s not wrong for us to love each other.” She put her arms around his neck and kissed him.

  ~~~

  Leona marveled at the feel of his body under her hands. His muscles were rock hard but he was so gentle with her. She loved how she could touch him and cause him to shiver or moan. She knew she had a lot to learn, but he let her know what he liked. She found if she nibbled on his earlobe, his breath caught. If she ran her hand down his stomach, just barely brushing it against the top of his erection, his eyes went dark with passion. She liked learning what he wanted and what turned him on. And she could tell he watched and listened to her every response to see what she liked as well.

  Johnny was right; they were soul mates in every way. She felt like she could spend forever in his arms loving him, and she would never get enough. He completed her in ways she didn’t understand, but boy, did she love it. His deep voice vibrated through her when he whispered in her ear, bringing her back to the moment.

  “Where did you go just then, my Leo?” His warm breath tickled her ear.

  “I was just thinking about some things.” She felt him stiffen. “I never knew what was missing in my life until now. I didn’t even realize I wasn’t complete before.” She pushed away from him to look in his eyes. “I knew I wasn’t happy because I was putting my dreams on hold for everyone else. But I never knew part of my soul was missing until now.”

  He pulled her against him and she felt his heart beating strong and steady in his muscled chest. “I’ve felt that way for so long, but I knew what was missing. I knew the part of my soul that wasn’t there.” He shuddered as she put her hands on either side of his face. She pulled his face down and crushed his lips with hers. Greedy and full of need, she pushed him so he rolled over on his back.

  “What are you doing?” He smiled slightly, watching her carefully.

  “Where did you put that condom?” she asked, feeling the heat move over her entire body from just looking at his perfect body.

  “In my wallet.” His voice was so husky with emotion she shivered. As he started to move, she pushed gently on his chest.

  “I’ll get it.” She moved off the bed and found his wallet on top of his shorts.

  “Just inside that pocket there.” He pointed to her left hand.

  She found it and dropped the wallet back on his shorts. She crawled across the bed in a provocative way, enjoying the fact that he couldn’t take his eyes off her. His nostrils flared and his pupils widened as his gaze moved over her. She continued her journey up, slowly crawling up his body, letting her breast brush against his erection then his stomach and against his chest. He moved to grab her but she shook her head.

  “My turn to do some exploring,” she whispered. Could she do this? She wanted to. It made her feel just a little naughty. He moaned and she almost came undone. She kissed his mouth softly then moved down to his neck. She nuzzled, kissed, and sucked, loving the smell and taste of him. Her hands moved over his chest as she lowered herself and licked a path down to his stomach, repeating what he had done to her.

  He moaned louder, letting her know it was turning him on. She could feel his heart pounding and his breathing was getting faster and shallow. She felt his erection against her stomach and smiled. She moved further down so he was between her breasts as she caressed his taut stomach with her tongue.

  He put his hands on her shoulders. “Leo...” he hissed. “If you keep this up, we aren’t going to need that condom.”

  Leona looked up at him through her lashes. His eyes were full of desire; his entire body glistened with sweat and flushed with need for her. She slid off him and tore open the condom. She watched his face as she carefully rolled it down the length of him. His bottom lip caught between his teeth as he held his breath.

  “Leo, please.” His voice was so husky and soft; she almost didn’t hear what he said.

  She smiled and kissed his mouth as she moved to straddle his hips. His gaze never left her face as she slowly lowered herself onto him. When she felt him slip inside of her, filling her more than he had before, her breath caught. She started moving slowly up and down. She leaned back, pushing him even deeper. Johnny grabbed her hips and took control, moving her up and down. Her breath came in gasps as he carried her over the edge once again. Her head fell back as she called out his name over and over again. She fell against him completely spent and unable to speak.

  They held each other that way without moving as he slowly stroked her back. “Wow. That was…”

  “Amazing?” she whispered in his ear.

  “Completely and totally amazing.” He slid her off him and tucked her close.

  She sighed, feeling more content than she had in a long while. This was where she belonged.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Leona woke and reached for Johnny, the smile on her lips quickly turning into a frown when she touched emptiness. Where was he? Sitting up, she listened for the shower but heard no running water, and the bathroom door was cracked open. She swung her feet off the bed and grabbed her robe. As she made her way to the hallway, she heard Johnny talking. Hmm, I wonder whom he’s talking to. As she turned the corner, she saw he was on the phone. She made her way to the cabinet, grabbed a mug, and poured herself a cup of the freshly brewed coffee.

  John motioned for her to come closer and pulled her into his arm, kissing her neck. “Good, I’m glad to hear that, Tom. Yeah, I think so.” He kissed again and n
uzzled her neck. “Thanks, I owe you guys.” He ended the call and pulled her against him. “That was good news. Tom said their investigation showed that the club and both owners are clean. Hark is a very shrewd businessman and has built the club up fairly quickly. Which means we’re good with drawing up a contract so you guys can play a few gigs for him.”

  “That’s wonderful! Thank you again, Johnny. This means a lot to me.” She felt his erection push against her stomach when she wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her body against his hard, muscled one. “Again?”

  “I don’t think I can ever get enough of you.” He gently moved her back. “I have to get to work on the contracts. Why don’t you make us lunch since we missed breakfast? I’ll start working on the contract after I call Alastair.”

  She pushed her bottom lip out in a pout. “If that’s what you really want, but they’re coming over for lunch tomorrow, so why don’t we talk to them then? Will you have the contracts ready soon?”

  “I can have them at least finished enough for you two to look over them and make sure you like everything. Don’t do that pouty thing or we are going to be back in the bedroom, and I won’t get any work done,” he growled, eyeing Leona up and down.

  “Well then, you’d better stop looking at me like that or I’m going to jump you right here.” She smiled shyly, shaking her head slightly. “I can’t believe I just said that. Look what you are doing to me, Johnny Montgomery.”

  Heather peaked her head around the corner. “Is it safe to enter or are you two getting busy in the kitchen? Ouch! Sebastian, that’s not funny!” She squealed and jumped from behind the wall. “That hurt.” She ran to Leona. “He just slapped my butt.”

  “Well, you had it pointed at me just begging to be slapped.” He rounded the corner, laughing his deep, rumbling laugh. “Right, John?”

  “Oh no. Leave me out of this!” John laughed. “Afternoon, you two. Leona was just getting ready to start lunch while I draw up the contracts for the club.”

  “So everything checked out with Hark?” Sebastian grabbed some coffee while Heather moved Leona in front of her.