Love Redone

by Peyton Reeser

  Deciding to push the limits just a tad, Nick fixed her with raised brows and said, “I consider it my duty to satisfy all your guilty pleasures, Shannon. Since you’re the injured one, what say you just relax and let me feed you, one at a time?”

  The way his mouth quirked with laughter at the obviously naughty taunt overrode whatever caution bells may have sounded in her brain. Throwing common sense to the wayside, Shannon just giggled and said, “Feed me then,” before leaning toward him and opening her mouth.

  Holy Mother of God, was Nick’s last coherent thought as he watched in helpless fascination while he met her challenge with one of his own, placing one of the tiny chocolate morsels just on the tip of her tongue, letting his hand linger at her lips while they stared each other down.

  Closing her mouth around the cookie he was offering, Shannon let her tongue barely touch his fingers before looking away.

  “I love how they just melt on your tongue.” She sighed a second before she returned her eyes to his and smiled one of those Mona Lisa smiles that drove a man nuts.

  Popping yet another chocolate delight into his rapidly drying mouth, Nick laughed at Shannon’s coquettish response, and before either one of them knew what was happening, he leaned in and tenderly kissed her.

  Her lips were just as soft and delicious as he remembered. Brushing his mouth over hers, Nick traced the seam of her lips with his tongue and let the glorious sensation wash over him.

  “Now that’s what I call delicious,” he breathed into her blushing face as he slowly pulled back to survey her reaction. The blush, of course, told him a lot, as did her quickly brightening eyes and the way she drew in oxygen. “You up for seconds?” he asked as he waited to see what happened next.

  Should she consider playing coy and continuing their game of teasing flirtation? Not for a second, Shannon decided when instinct and desire took over, and she slowly smiled into his eyes and said, “Yes, please.”

  That was all it took for Nick to pull her toward him on the gently swaying loveseat and to slowly, slowly, slowly lower his head until breaths mingled and lips almost touched. He wasn’t sure why he hesitated but was glad he had when Shannon closed the distance, scant as it was, so their lips could finish what their mischievous words had started.

  She tasted like heaven. The soft sigh she released as their mouths joined in a kiss that went way beyond a simple peck was sweeter and more satisfying than any edible treat he could imagine. This was something they exceled at. Slow, sensual, deep kisses, the kind that stole his breath and made him wish for time to stand still.

  They stayed like that for a long time. Shannon’s fingers on his skin were as soft as the lips that had opened under his without reservation. He got lost in the sensations wrought by her delicate touch and deepened the kiss with each new caress. Heart thundering in his chest, Nick pulled her even closer so she could feel his excitement and know it was for her alone.

  His tongue plundered her mouth, mimicking what he wanted to do with another part of his anatomy, plunging slow and deep, swirling sexy pulses meant to drive her wild. She responded in kind, sucking him in with barely audible groans of sensual abandon.

  Shannon fell into that kiss with a satisfaction so deep she shivered in response to the emotions that were washing all over her. She remembered long, drawn-out kissing with him that could go on an entire night. His lips were soft and perfect, covering hers one second and then nibbling at the contours of her mouth the next.

  Sighing some more, Shannon relaxed against him, letting the intensifying heat building between them grow by leaps and bounds. When his tongue began seeking entry into the moist recesses of her trembling mouth, she reached up and placed her hand at the back of his head, telling him with her touch how much more she wanted.

  Shannon lay in his arms and exulted in the way he took command of their sensual interlude. Somehow she knew he wouldn’t push things too far. That knowledge allowed her to let go and enjoy what was happening between them.

  She loved being kissed by him, and she’d never forgotten how it made her feel to be in Nick’s arms with her soft, trembling mouth crushed under his. How could she have lived without ever knowing this feeling again? Well, she hadn’t really lived, and that small, sad truth made her grip his head more forcefully, as it was she who took their kiss deeper still.

  Years of want coalesced inside her, suddenly bursting forth in a wave of aching, throbbing need. Her female core became taut with pulsating intensity as his tongue inside her mouth reawakened a passion that had the ability to render her mindless and begging for his possession.

  Desperately needing to regain some control, Nick began gentling his touch moments after Shannon dove in with a growing urgency that threatened to shatter his intention to go slow. God, but she was like fire in his embrace, losing herself in the yearning they had awakened, sending shock waves of desire through them both.

  Time was on his side, he reminded himself as the deep, probing oral exchange became less intense by degrees until she lay quietly shaking in his arms. He nibbled at her mouth before covering her face with tiny, soft kisses, each holding a promise for the future that he intended to press when the timing was right.

  Long moments later, after they’d swayed and rocked slowly on the patio swing for what seemed like ages, Nick lifted away from her and suggested they move inside now that the light of the day had vanished and darkness had enveloped them.

  Reluctantly, Shannon straightened and once again tried to smooth her now-disheveled hair. He was right. She may want to continue being kissed and cradled in his arms, but she was sensible enough to know they were playing with fire and they both had their limits. She may be enjoying their newfound connection, but she was far from being able to go much further than this just yet.

  “Since you have every TV channel known to man, why don’t we get you inside and comfortable on the sofa so you can find us something to watch? How does that sound, little one?”

  Without waiting for an answer, Nick did as he was want to do and quickly stood while he picked her up and marched off with a very happy Shannon nestled in his more-than-capable arms.

  Sofa? What sofa, she thought. She’d much prefer to stay right where she was, and only a blast of common sense into her pleasure-drenched brain stopped her from saying so out loud.

  Enjoying the short walk from the patio to the living room, Shannon absorbed as much as she could, breathing him in, memorizing the beats of his strong heart against her side, allowing her arm to hold tightly about his shoulders while rubbing her fingers on his neck and collarbone.

  As he lowered her to the sofa cushions, Nick had to admit she was driving him crazy with those shy touches and longing sighs. He knew he was right to take things slowly, but right now he was experiencing acute oxygen deprivation made worse by the straining zipper on his old jeans, which he was sure was going to bust open from the pressure.

  There was a lot at stake, a fact that had not eluded either of them. Shannon was content to sit with him for the next two hours as they became engrossed in a recently released pay-per-view movie about political intrigue and a plot to destroy a historic site.

  It was comforting to share even the smallest of experiences, she had to admit as she observed his profile from the corner of her eye. Yeah, she wanted to jump his bones, but there was more to consider than a quick slackening of desire. Hopping into bed together wasn’t going to suddenly make things right.

  Unfortunately, the moist evidence in her panties of just how hard her body was trying to change her mind was a constant reminder of how easy it would be to surrender to her passions. Been there, done that, she remembered. Look how well that turned out. She nodded in silent recognition of a deeper truth that had the clout to override the powerful lure of physical attraction.

  When the movie finally wrapped up, Shannon was trying not to yawn while they companionably chatted about what they’d just watched. She’d enjoyed the actors and thought the story was well presented.


  He agreed. They tended to have similar opinions about such things, adding his review about the directing and pacing of the suspenseful story. They talked as Nick moved around the living room turning off lights, preparing for the overnight. It was all so normal and commonplace and felt so right. So easy. Yet another brick in the wall fell as they slipped into an achingly familiar groove. Shannon couldn’t ignore how effortlessly they fit together.

  By the time Nick picked her up to carry Shannon into the master bedroom, she was beyond tired and went with the flow. Her sleepy state led to a snuggling embrace as they made their way to her bedside. He smelled so good, she thought.

  Settling her gently on the edge of the high mattress, Nick immediately knelt before Shannon to carefully remove the bracing wrap around her ankle. She watched in slumberous fascination as he ducked his head and inspected the bruising she knew was evident. It took all her might not to reach out and run her fingers through that dark blond hair. When he looked up at her from his knees, she saw only hazel eyes on a face she’d desperately missed in her life.

  “Thank you for a wonderful evening,” Shannon breathed out in a voice grown unexpectedly husky. She wanted to say more, but exhaustion mixed with a hesitant shyness stopped whatever words were forming in her mind.

  Nick held her eyes then, while he also held her injured foot against his lap as his large, warm hands swept up and down her legs. “Woman,” he growled as his hands tightened where he gripped her calves, “you’re gonna be the death of me if you keep looking at me like that.”

  With eyes quickly grown wide as she sluggishly blinked, Nick thoroughly enjoyed the pretty pink blush that started where his hands still caressed her legs, traveling up her length, spreading across her expression in an arc of color that deepened her natural luminance in the soft lighting of the bedroom.

  She enchanted him with her astonishing innocence. Cocking her head slightly as she looked down at him with her brows squinched together in confusion, he watched as her mouth started to say, “What?” when instantaneous understanding hit her, making her bite off that reply.

  A self-deprecating shrug followed before she bit her lip for a second and whispered bashfully, “Um, sorry.” She cast her eyes away in clear embarrassment because Shannon knew she’d been lost in a sleepy, sensual fog swirling with lusty imagery when he had said she’d be the death of him.

  Nick responded to her adorable reaction with a huge grin as he finished attending to her foot. Standing so he was the one on top, his height meant Shannon had to adjust her view of him, so he waited in a whirlwind of immense satisfaction as she took in their positions.

  Once again, Shannon was achingly aware of his size and aura of authority. He was just so big. His size dominated the space, evoking a sense deep inside her of being consumed by his powerful presence. She instantly felt small, feminine, and uncommonly fragile.

  Letting her admiring gaze move unhurriedly up his torso, Shannon finally arrived at his grinning face, which wore the dimples hidden in a scraggly beard that had long been haunting her dreams and playing havoc with her senses. Seeing his expression light up in that glorious grin brought a mirrored response from a deep corner of her bleak soul that was now flooded with light. Her face bloomed with a smile so wide she thought it would spread forever.

  They stood there with him towering over her, both of them grinning like loons for several satisfying minutes. They’d shared something just now, something real and powerful. Not a memory or a fantasy, something that had legs. Shannon’s cute little caught in the act shrug and embarrassed sorry was a huge step forward. Her admitting a response she could barely contain made Nick’s heart light up with a joy so immense he couldn’t have stopped the enormous grin of satisfaction to save his life. Her glorious smile was the only balm their broken hearts needed.

  “Get out of here, Mr. Barrett!” Shannon finally laughed as she playfully pushed at his chest from where she sat on the bed. Her smile didn’t fade a whit when Nick rumbled a deep chortle of delight while he let her push him back a step. He put his big hands over hers where they pushed against him, holding them tight against his body.

  Her smile wavered slightly, and he could feel her fingers where he held them tight as they flexed against his chest. She gave as good as she got, however, and he watched her with undisguised approval as she pushed against him again, only this time with something that felt more like a caress.

  “Don’t make me hurt you.” Shannon laughed with an endearing, coquettish inflection to her voice and tilt of her chin. “You know I can!”

  At that, Nick threw back his head and laughed like he hadn’t done in a very, very long time. My god, he thought, she was…perfection.

  “Alright, you saucy wench,” he teased while releasing her hands before reaching to grab up the nightgown lying across the pillow. “Stop your antics, woman, before I take you in hand and tame that naughty mouth of yours!”

  Shannon grinned some more as her cowboy pirate watched her with unabashed delight. “Put this ugly thing on,” Nick told her as he held up the pathetic Disney princess nightgown she’d decided to wear. The disaster that morning with the tantalizing baby-doll sleepwear had made choosing more modest sleepwear a no-brainer.

  Giggling because she knew he realized the reason why she’d chosen the prim, baggy nightgown, Shannon grabbed it from his hands. “Hey! Don’t make fun of the princesses. They’re probably scared to death of you anyway.”

  “Oh, I see.” Nick smiled back. “They’re afraid I have designs on the luscious woman hiding behind them!” Grabbing her by the shoulders while he planted a forceful kiss to her forehead, Nick moved his mouth and rumbled low next to her ear, “They’re absolutely correct in that.”

  Without hesitating he continued on, whispering in a sexy growl each and every thing he wanted to do to her trembling body, making her squirm with awareness and pleasure. Shannon’s breathing became labored as she listened silently, totally in thrall to the sound of his deep, evocative voice and the suggestively erotic words he spoke.

  When he was finished, he put his finger under her chin and made her look up into his lowered face. What Nick saw was a trembling woman on the brink of complete seduction.

  “That’s a promise,” he whispered against her parted lips a second before he pressed a short, wet kiss there. “Sweet dreams, my little one.”

  And then he was gone, leaving Shannon motionless where she sat. Oh my, was her only coherent thought.

  How she got undressed or into the hideous nightgown, she didn’t know, but that’s how she found herself the next morning when she finally left behind a sleepless night filled with restless erotic imagery and woke to a brand new day.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Shannon’s head felt like it was stuffed full of feathers, and her body was exploding with unspent nervous energy as she emerged from her bed to meet the day.

  Luckily she was now able to get around some on her own, although awkwardly, as she fumbled along clumsily through her morning ablutions. “I need to find my Zen,” she said out loud to no one except the fuzzy-brained blonde staring grumpily back at her from the vanity mirror.

  Mind set on what she needed, five minutes later Shannon was making her way slowly on crutches, which made her feel gawky and unsteady, to the terrace where she planned to start her day as she normally did with some early-morning yoga.

  Dressed in soft and stretchy yoga pants that outlined her figure perfectly and a sleeveless ladies T-shirt with an om symbol, she started her morning stretches, using the garden bench to modify the familiar postures in deference to her injury. Almost instantly she started to feel calmer and less scattered.

  Shannon had been doing yoga since her early teens and considered this quiet, focused ritual necessary to her overall well-being. On any normal day, life was hectic and nonstop. Personal yoga practice forced her to concentrate on physical and emotional balance. Considering the imbalance in both those areas of her life from the events of the last few days, S
hannon truly needed to take steps to find some sort of steadiness to what was going on.

  Luckily her foot felt a million times better today, and though she used the bench to keep from putting it down, she was glad to know that the injury was improving. Only her eagerness to heal fully and completely in as short a time as possible kept her from trying to put any weight on it. The doctor had said two full days of no pressure to the foot so the swelling and bruising could run their course.

  Even with the modifications, she was deep into her practice and so totally focused on what she was doing that she didn’t notice at first when Nick stepped onto the patio from the kitchen.

  * * *

  He’d been standing at the sink admiring the gorgeous bougainvillea flowers surrounding the terrace while he waited for his coffee to brew when she had appeared from the bathroom doors, making her way slowly to a low wooden bench that ran along a corner of the enclosed patio. She had a colorful, plush-looking towel slung around her neck, which she placed on the seat before laying the crutches down and leaning the knee of her injured foot against the bench for stability.

  It was quite early to be up, nothing unusual for Nick since he’d always been an early riser. His first thought when she appeared was that here again was yet another way that they were totally compatible. Nick made the most of his early mornings, preferring to putter aimlessly while enjoying several cups of whatever coffee he could get his hands on, sometimes indulging in the quiet concentration needed for the NY Times crossword puzzle.

  Mornings to him were little pods of untouched calm not yet sucked into the dynamics of a busy day, still softly infused with dreamy remnants of the night just passed. This morning had started off with a raging case of morning wood when he’d awaken after an all-too-vibrant dream of him and the soft beauty out on the patio sweating and grunting through a wildly erotic coupling that left him unfulfilled and frustrated the minute his eyes opened.