by Jess Dee
For long seconds he stayed perfectly still, neither his hand nor his dick moving.
Her orgasm finally tapered off, and Tori gulped in great big breaths of air.
Never had she felt as fulfilled, as satisfied. Or as aroused. No matter that she’d just come twice, with Andrew inside her like this, so snugly, so intimately filling her back passage, her body was on fire, burning for him and for everything that was yet to come.
“Tori…” His lips touched the bottom of her neck in a kiss that sent shivers scuttling down her spine. “Damn, sweetheart…” Another kiss. “You feel so fucking good. Want to stay like this forever.” He nuzzled her skin. “Also want to move. Want to drag my dick out of you just so I can thrust back in. Feel this good all over again.”
She sighed in pleasure.
“I have a confession.” He grazed her neck with his teeth.
“Mmm?”
“Back in the car park when we met?”
“Mmm?”
“You leaned into your car to get something, and I…”
“You…?”
“I wanted you then. Wanted to do this to you. Right there, in the middle of all those cars, with your bags all around us.”
“You wanted me then?” A thrill raced through her belly.
“Almost as much as I want you now.”
“You flirted, but I never realized…”
“That I had a massive erection?”
“I didn’t notice.”
“Did you notice I was walking behind you?”
“Yeah.”
“Now you know why.”
And in the middle of the most intense sexual experience of her life, Tori laughed.
Andrew shuddered inside her. “Laugh like that again. It feels fucking amazing.”
She did, feeling emotionally lighter than she had since walking into Declan’s room.
“Ah, fuck, yeah.”
“You were right,” Tori told him.
“A-about what?”
“You’re not so sweet after all.”
He bit her neck. “Been telling you that all along.” And then he did something decidedly unsweet. Withdrew his cock completely, then drove back into her, hard, filling her to the hilt in one swift thrust.
Tori’s eyes crossed with pleasure. It took her a good few seconds to find her breath again.
Andrew pulled out and thrust back inside so fast, she barely had time to fist her hands in the sheets and hold on for dear life. And then he was moving, rhythmically driving into her over and over, filling her completely before withdrawing, only to fill her again and again.
He didn’t finger her this time. Didn’t need to. He kept his hand where it was, resting against her clit, and the friction created from the back-and-forth motion of his thrusting gave her all the stimulation she needed to begin the climb to her peak.
She hadn’t believed it possible. Didn’t think she’d come again, not after the intensity and strength of the previous orgasms. But she was wrong.
As Andrew’s excitement built, so did hers. As his groans turned to gasps and his cock lengthened inside her, tingles gathered in the base of Tori’s spine. Pressure built in her ass and clit, and just when she thought she’d explode from said pressure, it broke, the tingles blossoming into full-blown ecstasy. She came with his cock in her ass and his hand on her clit. And as the tremors of release took her, her muscles clamped down around Andrew’s cock.
He yelled hoarsely and thrust harder, then harder still. He thrust one more time, then stopped, and he too came, his long, low groan echoing through her ears as he pulsed inside her.
His hand tightened on her waist and he jerked, once, twice, more. It was only when his body finally stilled that Tori realized her muscles had given in, and she no longer had the strength to hold her lower body up. She lay flat on the bed, with Andrew sprawled out on top of her.
And for long moments, she luxuriated in the almost breathless pleasure of carrying his full weight along the length of her body.
Chapter Ten
The idea of lying in a hot tub, the soothing water soaking away the remnants of their passion and relaxing his still-pounding heart, proved irresistible. Andrew ran a bath, then used it as an excuse to hold Tori once again. He carried her into the bathroom, well aware the jilted bride could choose to end their affair at any time and walk away.
While he had her close, he was making the most of it.
Andrew faced a moment of indecision when placing her in the tub. Should he step in with her and settle her between his legs, her back pressed to his chest, or should he sit opposite, with their legs tangled?
If she lay naked against him for even a second, he’d get aroused. And frankly, he’d come so many times over the last few hours, he highly doubted he had the ability to orgasm again.
If he sat opposite her, he could look as much as he wanted, drink her in with his eyes. They’d spent so much time together in the dark of night, the option appealed no end.
Decision made.
Now the problem was where to look first. At her face? With her eyes closed and her neck resting against the edge of the tub, she looked peaceful, angelic. It was almost difficult to imagine the wicked light glinting in her eyes, or the desire that had deepened them to a stormy blue as she’d begged him to touch her.
Or should he stare at her breasts? They bobbed gently in the water, droplets trickling over the swells. He hadn’t even touched them. Hadn’t held their weight in his hands or brushed his thumbs over her nipples. Yep, he’d suckled them in the gazebo, but that was through her bra. He needed to taste them unimpeded.
Andrew settled on focusing on the bottle of red he’d brought into the bathroom. The wine, the same as the bottle of red he’d sent to her room, was aptly named “Twist Of Fate”. Meeting Tori had been an incredible twist of fate for him. He’d found her at a time when he’d needed to forget reality for a while. And in her arms, Andrew thought about nothing but her. Hell, even out of her arms, he was consumed by thoughts of her.
He poured them each a glass and offered her one. Then, holding his own in one hand, he tugged on her toes with the other, resting her foot on his stomach to massage as they bathed.
She took a sensual sip, then laid her head back with a sigh. “Feels so good.”
“The wine?”
“Your hand.” She opened one eye and stared at him lazily. “Actually, you.”
“I feel good?”
“Everything you’ve done feels good. All over.”
“Mmmm. I think you feel good all over too.” If he could just get his hands on her breasts, he could say that for absolute sure.
“You’re good for me, Ando.”
“You’re good for me too, Tori.”
“I think I would have fallen apart if not for you.”
“I suspect you underestimate your own strength.”
“Nah. I’m not strong. You’re just an excellent distraction.”
Andrew tried to hide his frown. He’d just experienced the most intense, spectacular sex ever, and she saw him as a…distraction.
Well. That sucked.
He took a long sip, swallowing before answering. “So rebound sex worked for you?”
She held her glass up, staring at it as she contemplated her answer. “It worked,” she said finally. “I’m just not sure rebound sex is the right term for what we’ve done.”
He raised a brow in question.
She sat up and leaned towards him. “What we’ve shared? The intimacy of it all? It’s been incredible. Intensely, wonderfully incredible. I know, in here—” she tapped her chest, “—that what we’ve done goes way deeper than a quickie to help me feel better about myself.”
Andrew stared at her, speechless.
He could fall in love with this woman.
Tori stilled instantly. “Wh-what did you say?”
Andrew blinked.
“Don’t, Andrew. Please.”
“Don’t what?”
“Fall in lo
ve with me.”
Jesus. “I said that out loud?”
She nodded.
Well, shit.
“I’m damaged goods, Ando. You can’t fall in love with me.”
“You’re not damaged. You’re hurt. And let me be the judge of who I can and can’t fall in love with.” Fuck, he hadn’t meant to get into this. How the hell could he have been so careless?
She shook her head. “What I am is not ready for love again. Regardless. No matter how wonderful I think you are, falling for you is not on the cards. Another relationship isn’t in my future. Not now.”
“What is in your future?” Ah, better. Focus on her. On the future she hadn’t believed she had. It was a good way to move the conversation away from the recklessness of his words. Of course she wasn’t ready for love. She’d had less than two days to get used to the idea of being single again.
“Healing.” She lay back again. “Going home. Rediscovering myself. Finding out who Tori the individual is, now that Tori and Declan no longer exist.” She chewed on her lower lip. “I haven’t been just Tori for a year. I need to be her again, be happy with her before I’m ready to be part of a couple.”
“I’m getting to know Tori. And I like her. I think you will too.”
“Don’t like me too much. Please.”
“Hey, I’ll worry about me. You worry about you.” He tweaked her toe. “Relax. A relationship isn’t exactly in the cards for me either. Time just won’t allow for it.” Even if Tori were up to the challenge, he probably wasn’t. Not now. Not with all he had to do when he got home. Admissions to the retirement home, development of the new software package, the deal with Onyx.
Her shoulders seemed to relax at his confession.
“So tell me, how will you do it? Discover Tori again?”
“Slowly. Methodically.” She shrugged. “Starting with rearranging my house. Getting rid of all of Declan’s stuff. Moving my furniture back into place, using up the entire wardrobe once again. Sleeping in the middle of the bed instead of scrunching up on one side.”
“Sounds like a good start.”
“That’s the easy part. Facing the masses will be harder. Answering their questions. Explaining to the kids at school why I’m still Miss Worthing and not Mrs. Murfield, like I told them I’d be when I got back.”
“Kids adapt to change way quicker than adults. Explain once, and they’ll get it.”
“Regular kids maybe. But my kids have special needs. One explanation is never going to cut it.”
“Then maybe the more you talk about it with them, the more okay you’ll become with it.”
“Hopefully.” She nodded. “There is one good thing that comes out of this.”
“And that is?”
“I don’t need to stress out that my dogs will slobber all over Declan next time they see him.”
“You have dogs?”
“Two boxers, Maurice and Winslow.”
Andrew gaped at her. “You named your dogs after a cartoon strip?”
She gaped back. “You know who Maurice and Winslow are?”
“’Course I do.” Two of the monsters from Calvin and Hobbes. “Wait, don’t tell me. You named them that because they sleep under your bed at night?” Just like the monsters in the cartoon.
She snorted. “No, I named them that because I adore Calvin and Hobbes almost as much as I adore my boxers.”
Damn it. She was making it bloody hard not to fall in love with her. Anyone who read Calvin and Hobbes climbed several notches in his estimation. So few people still read the brilliant cartoon. “And they slobber? Your dogs?”
“Just Maurice. And only after he’s had water.”
“Brindle or brown?”
“Brown. You like boxers?”
“I like dogs. I have one of my own. Bruiser.”
“Don’t tell me. He’s a German shepherd?”
Andrew grinned and shook his head.
“Rottweiler?”
“Nope.”
“Bull mastiff?”
“He’s a dachshund.”
She burst out laughing. “You named a sausage dog Bruiser?”
“I don’t think he’s pure dachshund. I suspect he may have some Maltese poodle mixed in there somewhere.”
She laughed even harder. “How big is your Bruiser?”
He held his hands about forty centimeters apart. “This long.” Then he narrowed the gap significantly. “And this high.”
“Where did you get him?”
“Someone I work with found him wandering the streets near our offices. He must have been three or four months old. His ribs were sticking out, and I doubt he’d eaten in days. He was pretty damn pathetic.” Andrew had taken one look at the bedraggled animal with huge, sad eyes, and the rest was history. “I guess I kind of took a liking to him.”
She studied him with a warm smile. “And the name? Where’s that from?”
“Hey, the little guy was scrawny as. He needed a strong name. Something to live up to, you know?”
“And does he? Live up to his name?”
“Oh, hell yeah. He licks my face so hard, he leaves marks.”
She snorted. “Where is he now?”
“Staying at my neighbors. Little devil has them wrapped around his paw.”
“He has you wrapped too, from the sound of things.”
“He’s a cool dog. Chewed his way through a sofa, six different shoes and one kitchen cabinet, but cool nevertheless. Where are your guys while you’re here?”
“I have a sitter who looks after them. She moves in, so the dogs don’t get too unsettled.” Tori’s face fell. “I need to let her know I’ll be home sooner than planned. Declan and I were going to stay here until Friday, have a little honeymoon.”
“Ah, sweetheart. You just got sad again.”
“I’m sorry. I can’t seem to help it. My moods are crazy, swinging from one extreme to the other.” She closed her eyes, and for long moments Andrew left her to the thoughts.
“Wanna know what else is crazy?” she said finally.
“Tell me.”
“I was supposed to be walking down the aisle in about twelve hours’ time. Supposed to be saying my vows this afternoon.”
“That is kind of crazy.”
She sighed heavily. “It’s going to be a very, very long afternoon.”
It would be. A hellish afternoon. Unless… “Seems to me you’re going to need something to take your mind off it. Find another way to occupy yourself.”
She looked at him with eyes as sad as Bruiser’s had been that first day. “Got any suggestions?”
He smiled at her. “As a matter of fact…”
And that was how Tori found herself elbow deep in chocolate, marshmallows and coconut at the very time she was supposed to pledge herself to Declan. Instead of saying “I do”, she told Andrew to hold still as she poured the rocky road mixture into a pan he held.
The peanut brittle they’d made first had already set and was waiting to be broken into pieces and packed away in plastic bags. Well, what was left of it, anyway. Andrew had scarfed half of it already.
Initially, she’d resisting joining him at the candy-making course. It had seemed inappropriate to go out and enjoy herself at such a time. But Andrew had pointed out that the only inappropriate thing that had happened this weekend was Declan’s poor judgment. Plus, he’d convinced her if anyone needed a little sugar in her life, it was Tori.
It wasn’t just the lollies that put a smile on Tori’s face. It was Andrew too. He made her laugh, helped her see the humor in everything they did. She’d laughed constantly as they’d cooked and created.
Soon as the mixture was poured, he set the pan on the table, wiped a smudge of chocolate off her cheek and popped his finger in his mouth, licking it clean.
“Andrew,” she chided, “there are people around.”
“No one you know. Besides, chocolate never tasted so good. Wait. You have another bit…just here.” He leaned in and kissed h
er upper lip, dragging his tongue along its length.
Tori’s body heated instantly.
He drew back and licked his own lips. “Mmm, delicious.”
She frowned at him.
“Bet I know what you’re thinking now.” His smile was one of pure mischief.
“Bet you don’t,” she grouched, fully aware her nipples had puckered beneath her apron. She grabbed the pan and walked to the industrial-size fridge, setting the chocolate treat on one of the shelves.
She’d barely gotten the door closed before Andrew murmured in her ear from behind. “You’re thinking how grateful you are that I haven’t confiscated today’s knickers.”
She set her hands on her hips and turned to glare at him, because that was exactly what she’d been thinking.
Andrew grinned and added, “Yet.”
“You’re incorrigible.”
“And you’re horny,” he whispered.
“Maybe.” She bit her lip to stop from smiling. “What are you gonna do about it? There’s a room full of people standing behind you.”
“Now? Nothing. But the second we get back in the car, those knickers are mine.”
Of course he was right. Tori arrived at the vineyard without her panties.
And late that night—as they once again shared his bed—instead of celebrating her wedding night, Tori learned that homemade rocky road and peanut brittle tasted best when eaten directly off a man’s naked body and swallowed down with a sip of red wine.
On Sunday morning, Tori waved goodbye to her parents, her sister, her brother-in-law, her nephew and her best friend. Apart from the late nights and the few stolen daylight hours yesterday with Andrew, she’d spent every waking moment with them. But now she needed her space.
It had taken a while, but she was finally able to convince them to go home and give her this last day to herself. Her mother left only after promising to fill her fridge with food so Tori wouldn’t need to worry about cooking for the rest of the week. And her father swore to change the locks so Declan couldn’t access the house without her express approval.
Unquestionably, she had the best parents ever. Correction: the best family. And yeah, Andrew had been right. No matter how much chaos Declan had caused in her life, he hadn’t destroyed all her eggs. That bottom layer was indeed indestructible.