Let Me Love You

by Kristin Miller

  “Do you have protection?” she breathed.

  He nodded, and fumbled to find his wallet in his back pocket. He removed a condom and bit into the foil, dropping his wallet to the ground. She went to work unzipping his jeans and shoving them down.

  His body was drawn tight, charged with buzzing currents of lust. He rolled on the condom. Possessed her mouth. Searched her body, skimming his hands over her satin-soft skin.

  Tension coiled at the base of his spine…

  Desperate to feel her core, he reached between her legs and swiped his fingers between her folds. She was slick, drenched with heat. This time, he couldn’t bite back the groan. She grinned at the primal sound, and grabbed a fistful of hair to drag his mouth back to hers. He worked her center, sliding his fingers in and out of her delicious wetness. And when her breath began to hitch, her body moving in tiny, convulsing waves, his cock jerked.

  He slid his hand down her thigh to her hip, and then lifted her leg, bending it around his waist. He poised at her center. Locked eyes with her, and then eased into her heat. She was a tight fit, gripping him with her inner muscles as he moved into her.

  She was heaven. Perfection. He’d admittedly dreamed of this moment more than a dozen times, but no midnight fantasy compared to the real thing.

  Lucy was an angel.

  Her body sagged against the rock when his hips met hers. He held her against him. Drove into her again. And again. As their bodies rocked at a relentless pace, bringing Joey perilously close to release, he hiked her leg higher to angle his length deeper into her core.

  “Oh God, yes. Just like that…” She rolled her hips. Took all of him in. “You have to promise,” she said, gasping, her emerald eyes fluttering closed, “not to make love to me.”

  Odd request.

  He thrust into her harder, stretching her. “What is it that we’re doing then?”

  “We’re screwing.” She moaned, and raked her fingers down his abs.

  “Lucy, I can’t—”

  She grasped at the back of his neck to hold herself up, silencing him. “Just don’t stop…” He drove into her, thrusting his hips in an unhurried rhythm. “…that.”

  His entire body tightened, on the verge of release. He gripped her backside, thrusting even more slowly. He took in the sight before him: waterfall of red hair, pink cheeks, glorious curves glistening with sweat, full, bouncing breasts. He’d never be able to get enough of her, of this.

  At this moment, he’d do whatever she asked and give her whatever she wanted to capture this moment for a minute—hell, even a second—longer.

  He’d give her the moon and stars if she asked for them.

  “That’s the way—“ Hot pulses clenched around his shaft. “I’m so close…”

  At the words, she erupted, her body convulsing, rising and falling, and sliding against the rock. Her core squeezed on his length, tighter and tighter, until every muscle in his body seized. He was on the edge of ecstasy. Desperately clawing for release. His thrusts became staccato, jagged and rough.

  “Joey,” she breathed, still clenching wildly around him. “Oh Joey, come with me.”

  He drove into her once, twice. With one last forceful push, his hips pounded against hers, and he emptied himself into her molten wetness.

  As they sagged against each other, winded and totally spent, Joey unsheathed himself from her core and released her leg. She toppled, but he caught her.

  “That was”—she swiped strands of hair out of her eyes—“amazing.”

  He nodded, unable to formulate words.

  “You’re good at keeping secrets.” Her fingers danced over his stomach, giving him goose bumps. “I had no idea you had that in you.”

  He hauled her against him. “I’ve got a lot more in me, when you’re ready for round two.”

  She laughed, tossed her arms around his neck, and threw her head back. “Ding! Ding! I believe that was just the bell.”

  “Any other rules I should know about before we get started?”

  Her hands slid up and down his back in a gentle caress. “Yeah. Shut your mouth and kiss me.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Monday morning, Lucy couldn’t walk. Not surprisingly, she was mighty fine with that kind of problem. If quivering thighs, sore legs, and a lingering tingle in her belly were the price to pay for having sex with Joey, she’d gladly go broke to have those things again.

  She hadn’t expected sex with him to be so…blissfully staggering.

  Her perspective of Mr. Nice Guy Brackett was changing dramatically. By the day, it seemed. She hadn’t thought he’d be a good kisser, and he’d blown her mind. Sex was no different. He was hot, with a muscular build and broad shoulders, so it shouldn’t have surprised her that he knew how to move in the heat of the moment, but it did.

  He didn’t call to make sure she got home all right Sunday night. He didn’t call Monday, either. Which was the deal, so she shouldn’t have been disappointed. Not that she was, because she wasn’t. Nope. Dane had texted, though, saying he’d “catch up with her later in the week.” She got the feeling he expected her to wait for his call. With bated breath.

  Not happening.

  She still didn’t know what to say to him. She didn’t want to date him anymore, but she couldn’t exactly tell him the reason why. Maybe she’d leave that job to Joey.

  She dived into business at the winery, as usual, and the next few days passed in a business-filled blur. The gondola had broken down while she was off gallivanting in Whipside Cavern. No gondola meant the grapes couldn’t be loaded into the semi-trucks as efficiently. It took all day Tuesday, and more than four hundred dollars, to get it up and running again. Then, Tuesday night, wine in one of the fermentation tanks overflowed into the cellar. The tanks were supposed to have approximately seven feet of room on the top to allow for foam buildup, but someone must not have been paying attention and filled it too high. When the sugar was added, a wine fountain six feet high erupted onto the cellar floor.

  Total. Mess.

  Wednesday morning, her fingers were still stained purple, and Joey was still on her mind as present as ever. Shouldn’t three Joey-less days have lessened the hold he seemed to have over her?

  To drown him out of her thoughts, Lucy dived into pesky little details at the winery that she normally passed off to Skylie. She mopped the floors of the tasting rooms, twice, and made sure machinery was running in tip-top shape for the StoneMill Grape Stomp Jubilee on Sunday morning. Everything had to be in working order, and the grounds had to be perfect. The entire town of Blue Lake along with a couple hundred tourists would show up, barefoot and ready to taste some great wine.

  Lucy put on a purple headband to match her fingers—might as well run with it—and double-checked her appearance in the mirror of her Jeep before backing out of the front lot.

  She and a few of her best friends used to gather once a month for a book club meeting. They called themselves the Read-Its, because they’d mark their book picks on Post-Its and stick them everywhere as reminders to one another. Thanks to super-busy schedules—each of the women in the group was a business owner and dedicated to her career—they hadn’t met in over a year.

  They were remedying that today.

  She backed out of the stall. Someone banged on her driver’s side window, scaring her half to death. She slammed on the brakes, jarring her to a stop.

  “Skylie?” She rolled down the window and forced her racing heart to calm. “You scared the hell out of me. What’s the matter?”

  Her much-too-perky assistant rested her hands on the door. “Umm…there’s nothing wrong, really, but I need to ask you a huge favor.”

  “Okaaaay.”

  Favors from eighteen-year-olds were never easy ones. Lucy put the Jeep in park and waited to hear what she could do for her assistant. Wasn’t this situation backward?

  “Do you remember that dog you and Joey pulled out of the gulley?” Skylie pushed strands of blond hair out of her face and
tucked them behind her ear. “The German shepherd?”

  “Yeah, I remember.”

  “I called animal services to check up on him. You know, see if someone had come forward to claim him? Anyway, I was, like, feeling really bad for him, you know, because they put up signs and no one came forward. So I was wondering if maybe, if you thought it’d be okay, if you—”

  “Skylie!” Lucy stopped her. “Spit it out.”

  “Can we keep the dog here? He could be, like, the StoneMill mascot or something.”

  Lucy squinted. “The mascot?”

  “Well, yeah, or whatever you call it. He could stay with you at your studio at night and then roam around during the day. He’d be cute.” She stuck out her bottom lip. “Don’t you think?”

  “First he’s the mascot, and now he’s my bed buddy?”

  That mangy, muddy dog had moved up quickly in the grand scheme, hadn’t he? Lucy’d had dogs in her bed before—ones who were rude and slobbered and took up way too much room on her bed—but they hadn’t been covered in fur.

  “I’ll take care of him during the day,” Skylie offered quickly. “I’ll feed him and make sure he has his shots, and I’ll put up more posters in town. If anyone comes to claim him, we’ll hand him over. But I’d hate to see that little guy be kennel-bound, or worse.”

  Lucy couldn’t even think about what “worse” meant. The pound was overcrowded—had been for years. It might not have euthanized animals, but it couldn’t keep all of them.

  The dog had been kind of cute.

  “Okay,” Lucy said, checking the clock. If the conversation went on much longer, she was going to be late to book club. “Bring him by and set him up with food and water near the janitor’s closet under the stage. As soon as you can, take him for a walk around the boundary of the property so he can get used to the smell of the grapes.”

  “Done!” Skylie beamed, her glittery pink lips spreading into a smile. “I’ll go get him right now! Thanks, Lucy!”

  As Lucy continued to reverse the Jeep, Skylie marched to her Ford Escape and popped open the back hatch. Out of the corner of her eye, Lucy caught sight of a cage…and a certain familiar German shepherd puppy peeking out from behind the front gate.

  “Skylie!” Lucy barked, stopping at the back of her SUV. “You picked him up before you even talked to me?”

  “Well, yeah, but I knew what you’d say.” She took the pup from his cage and held him in her arms. He was surprisingly adorable, with a fluffy face and pointy ears. It was amazing what some soap and water could do. “You’ve got a heart of gold, Lucy. But don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone.”

  Lucy frowned. I won’t tell anyone? Why wouldn’t Lucy want others to know about her kindness? Did she really put off a hard-core vibe? She might’ve cracked the whip at work, but that was business. Totally not personal.

  “Is he still freaked out when people touch him?” Lucy asked, reaching through the window to give the new mascot a scratch. “We can’t have a dog around who spooks easily. Last thing I need is a dog bite claim on our accident reports.”

  “No, I think it was just the mud,” Skylie said. “Animal control said he’s been the sweetest dog since he got cleaned up. Haven’t you, boy?” Skylie let the pooch lick her in the mouth. Lucy gagged. “I think he’s going to be perfect. You’ll see.”

  Proof was in the pudding. Always was.

  “Did you name him?” Lucy asked.

  Skylie stared down the puppy’s muzzle. “No, and animal control said he didn’t have a collar. What do you think?”

  There could only be one name for a dog who was the mascot of a winery.

  “We’ll call him Zin,” Lucy said, and took off to book club.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Heading toward the east side of town, Lucy turned into the first parking lot on the left: Java Falls. April Cassidy had owned the shop for years, brewed the best coffee in the Sierras, and was also a member of the Read-Its. Her quaint little coffee shop provided the perfect place to talk books.

  Bells on the door jingled as Lucy strode inside, messenger bag in hand. The coffee shop smelled like hazelnut and bold roast, and warmed her instantly. Rachael, Laney, and Rhonda turned, caught her eye, and squealed as she came closer. She embraced each of them, and her heart skipped.

  “Sorry I’m late, you guys,” Lucy said, sliding into the wooden chair facing the window. She held up her purple fingers. “Things have been crazy at the winery lately.”

  “Oh my gosh, we heard!” Rachael said, giving her a side hug. “Laney brought pumpkin spice hard candies from her shop. Here. They make everything better.”

  Lucy’s mouth watered. “Pumpkin spice season already?”

  Laney nodded, her dishwater-blond bangs falling over one eye. “People can’t get enough. I start making it in August.”

  Unwrapping one of the cream-and-orange-colored candies, Lucy popped it into her mouth and sucked it into her cheek. “Oh, these are good! Did you guys already decide on a book for October? Am I that late?”

  April emerged from behind a large glass counter and set a steaming cup of coffee in front of her.

  “Thanks,” Lucy said, taking a sip. It was sweet and creamy, tasting more like hot cocoa than coffee. Exactly how she liked it. “I don’t know how you remember everyone’s drink orders in this town.”

  “It’s a blessing and a curse, but great for business.” Smiling, April hugged her from behind. “Four sugars, two seconds worth of cream. You’ve always taken your cream and sugar with a little coffee.”

  Lucy laughed as April slid into a chair across from them. They were the five musketeers. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed their dynamic until this moment.

  “Rachael tells us you went out with one of the Brackett brothers Sunday night,” Rhonda blurted, leaning over the table. “Spill!”

  Okay, maybe there were things about the dynamic she hadn’t missed.

  Lucy took a quick snapshot of the room. With the exception of Rosie (the sweet old lady who’d lost her sense of hearing last year) sitting near the window on the opposite end of the shop, they were alone.

  Relief washed over her. The last thing she wanted was her dating conquests shared all over Blue Lake.

  “Dude, Rachael,” Lucy said, wadding her napkin up and throwing it at her. “Ever heard of discretion?”

  Dodging the flying wad, Rachael took a really freaking long drink of her coffee and avoided eye contact. When she finally set her cup back down, she said, “Sorry, Luce. Couldn’t help it. It’s, like, the best gossip anyone’s had in this town since…since…”

  “Since you seduced the rock star?” April finished, and they all laughed.

  “Fine,” Rachael said. “Yes, that’s exactly what I was thinking.” She put up a finger and shook it side to side. “But for the record, he totally seduced me.”

  They all knew the story. Hell, everyone in Blue Lake knew how Rachael and Cole Turner had hooked up. It was an absolute fairy tale, and those didn’t happen very often, if ever.

  “So which Brackett brother was it?” Laney probed.

  Wasn’t it too early for gossip? There should’ve been a rule: no dirt dished up before ten o’clock in the morning. “Which do you think?” Lucy sighed.

  “Dane,” Laney and April said in unison.

  “Nah, it was Joey,” Rhonda said.

  Lucy was intrigued. “What makes you think that?”

  “He’s a total hottie.”

  “They’re twins,” April argued, playfully smacking Rhonda in the shoulder. “If one’s hot, they’re both hot.”

  “No, there’s something different about Joey,” she went on. “He’s really nice. He’s, like, the total package.”

  Precisely.

  “What the hell is wrong with him, then?” Lucy spat, smacking her hands on the table. “Please for the love of God tell me because he’s the hottest thing I’ve seen since Channing Tatum flaunted his magic, nicer than anyone I’ve met in this town, and he’s
incredible in bed. Someone please tell me—”

  “Wait, what?” Rachael squeaked. “I thought you went out with Dane! But you went out with Joey? And you slept with him!”

  Face palm.

  The coffee shop went radio silent. When Lucy glanced up, every one of her friends had her mouth hanging open.

  “You boinked him, you little hussy!” Laney barked, drumming her hands over the table. “Good for you!”

  “Girl, you’re glowing!” April pointed into Lucy’s chest. “And now you’re blushing.”

  “I am not.” But she totally felt as if Joey had lit something inside her. She rubbed circles over her cheeks. “There’s a perfectly rational explanation what happened. I went out with Joey after the auction, had a great night, and we kissed but that was it.” They stared, apparently speechless. “Then Dane asked me out, I said yes, but he couldn’t make it because his sports shop had some kind of damage thanks to the storm, so Joey came in his place.”

  “Really came in his place,” Laney said, waggling her eyebrows, “if you get my drift.”

  “Gross!” April yelled, as Laney nearly choked on her candy. Rhonda stuck her finger in her mouth and pretended to gag. Rachael laughed with a snort.

  “It wasn’t like that,” Lucy said when they calmed down. “I can’t even think about what would’ve happened if Dane showed up instead of Joey.”

  “What do you mean, what would’ve happened?” Rachael’s mouth hung open. “You think you would’ve slept with Dane?”

  Laney clacked her tongue against her cheek. “Can you imagine having both Brackett brothers at the same time? Shudder.”

  Whistles and purr sounds made their way around the table, garnering the attention of Old Deaf Rosie. They smiled. Waved. She glared and went back to her crossword.

  Lucy’s stomach dropped. “I don’t want both Brackett brothers. I only want…”

  She couldn’t finish. She wanted Joey again, but only as long as he kept it light. The second she started to get the feeling that he wanted something more, she’d have to bolt so he wouldn’t get hurt. She’d been surprised that he wanted to have sex Sunday night, that he’d wanted something with no strings attached. That wasn’t like him. She’d wanted Dane—the one who was known for his flings and casual relationships.