Cody smirked and stalked back to the door. He closed it and returned to me. “Tell me what you want, Miss Harrison.”
“I want you to get on your knees and put your face between my legs.” I’d never been so bold in my life. I was pretty pragmatic about sex and wasn’t afraid to tell a guy what I liked or didn’t like in bed, but I’d never demanded he service me. I wasn’t myself, though, I was someone braver and more confident.
Cody pulled his shirt off and tossed it on the floor, displaying all his hard planes and ridges. I wanted to touch them, I wanted to lick them. Before I could do either, he was on his knees, his hands working at the buttons on my pants and sliding them down. This would have been so much sexier if I’d worn a skirt or a dress. Instead, I stepped out of my pants at his urging. He leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to my core, over my panties. He looked up at me, his eyes hooded, his expression fierce and I swear it was the sexiest thing I’d ever seen in my life. He hadn’t even touched me and I was already wet and aching for him just from the expression on his face.
“Take off your top,” he said, his voice gruff.”
“I’m the boss here,” I said. “I tell you what to do and not the other way around.”
It felt damn good to take charge. Some guys might have gotten annoyed or pissy, but Cody just smiled, slid his thumbs up my hips, under the little strings that held up my panties and pulled them down. He didn’t give me a chance to step out of them before his mouth was on me, his tongue and his fingers working me in a way both gentle and demanding. My knees shook and I wished I’d thought this through a bit more. It would be so much better to be laying down and…“Stop,” I said, my own voice raspy. Cody stopped immediately and backed away. Concern on his face.
“I will enjoy this more if I’m lying down. Help me take off the rest of my clothes and allow me to get comfortable.”
“Yes, boss,” he said, with a sexy smirk. Damn, I liked the sound of that.
He stood, his impressive reaction to me impossible to miss. He unbuttoned my cardigan, taking an eternity to work three small buttons open. Then he pushed it off, pressing kisses to each shoulder and to my collarbone. As he pushed the cardigan down my arms and over my hands, he kissed my neck. He kissed my neck and I nearly squealed with pleasure. How did something so simple feel so damn good?
He stepped back and pulled the little tank underneath over my head, revealing my breasts in a lacy demi-bra. He took my mouth then, kissing me hard and allowing me to taste myself on his tongue. The kiss melted every part of me, until I felt I’d dissolve into a puddle on the floor. With a well-practiced ease, he reached behind me and undid the clasp on my bra. He let it fall to the floor, and he laved each of my nipples with his tongue, making me moan aloud.
He gave me a small nudge and I fell back, like I was made of liquid, onto the bed. He knelt, spread my legs wide and studied me for a moment, taking in every inch of my naked body. “You are even more fucking perfect than I’d imagined you’d be.” He bent and pressed his mouth to me, sucking and licking, until he brought me to a roaring orgasm that left me feeling limp and entirely sated.
He stood and looked down at me, his expression smug and satisfied. “Have I earned my raise?”
I lifted one hand limply and waved him away. “Yes, you may go now.” I was teasing. The last thing I wanted was for him to leave, but Carrie, the vineyard owner would likely be done with him.
He chuckled and stroked himself through his jeans. “I’m not sure I have earned that raise, boss. I’d like to be given the opportunity to give you a full one hundred percent of my effort.”
I licked my lips, my limp body coming awake and igniting with renewed desire. “I wouldn’t want you to leave without showing me everything you’ve got to offer,” I said.
He stripped off his jeans and his boxers and stood before me naked. I swallowed hard. He was large and he was beautiful and I…I wasn’t at all sure I could handle him. He must have seen something on my face, because his smug expression became even more smug. “Don’t worry, boss. I’ll make it good for you. I understand if you need a little help getting readjusted to the ride after an eternal dry spell.”
I huffed, lust turning to annoyance. “Eternal is a huge exaggeration.” I shook my head. “You know what? I think if you want to earn that raise, you’d do well to talk less.”
He smirked. “Good thing I’m not actually expecting a raise.”
“What?” Were we no longer playing?
“You aren’t the only one who’s been watching and dreaming. I’ve wanted you for a long fucking time, raise or no raise, and I’m going to enjoy every moment of this.”
Wow. I liked being in charge, but seeing him take charge made me melt. He bent and got something from his jeans pocket. Then he straightened and slowly slid a condom over his length. He laid down on the bed and pulled me over until I was straddling him. “First, though, I’m going to let you run the show a little longer. I want to see what it looks like when Carrie Harrison fucks me.”
I forgot how to breath for a moment. Who was this guy and why did I suddenly want to do everything he asked? I straightened my shoulders. This guy was someone who worked for me and, if he wanted to see me take charge, I was going to give him what he wanted. I slid onto him, slowly, giving myself time to get comfortable. I watched his face as I took every inch of him, watched him watch me as his expression went lax and pleasure suffused his features. I was pretty sure I could get off just watching his face, but I wanted more.
I rode him, touching my breasts and showing off a bit, just to see what reaction I’d get from him, just because it was fun and made me feel sexy as hell. His reaction didn’t disappoint and it didn’t take long before pleasure rushed through me like a bolt of feel-good lightening. Once I’d reached my climax, he gripped my hips and took control, seeming to understand what I needed without words. He urged me toward another climax and, when I reached it, he rolled us, so that he was on top. He took his time, torturing me with pleasure, before he picked up the pace and reached his own release. I was pretty sure I’d never move again. I’d never leave that bed again, now I knew the kind of pleasure that could be found there.
He rolled off me and lay next to me until we caught our breath. Then he got up and disposed of the condom. I stared at the ceiling, trying to understand how I’d just had the best sex of my life with a man I didn’t like very much.
He came back to the bed and lay down, not touching me. “Am I alone in this?” he asked. “Or was that amazing?”
“You’re not alone,” I said, still trying to catch my breath. “It was amazing.”
And now it felt awkward. I slid off the bed and started pulling on my clothes.
“What are you doing?” he asked, his voice sleepy.
“I’m getting dressed and going home. The sex was great, but cuddling after doesn’t work for Carrie the school teacher or Carrie the Vineyard owner.”
He sat up, and I very studiously avoided looking at his naked form, the way his ab muscles bunched, or the sleepy, sated look on his face. “You’re right,” he said. “But you should stay. Like you said, people are going to expect us to be sharing a bed most nights.”
I sighed and sat on the edge of his bed. “Right.” But everything felt more difficult and less casual now. He’d been a generous lover and gone above and beyond to make sure I was pleased. I was having a hard time remembering why I didn’t want to snuggle with him or have a repeat of that amazing sex.
“Borrow one of my t-shirts and get back in bed,” he said. “I promise, no cuddling.”
Exhaustion washed over me. Pretending took a lot more energy than I’d anticipated. Cody got up and walked across the room to his dresser, naked. I watched his body move, unable to take my eyes off his perfect ass, or his muscular back. He no longer seemed over-muscled to me, he seemed perfect, and desire rose in me again. He pulled a shirt from a drawer and tossed it to me. “If you don’t stop looking at me like that,” he said. “We aren’t g
oing to be getting to sleep anytime soon.”
I dropped my eyes to the floor and pulled his t-shirt on. I slid back out of my pants and climbed under the covers. He put his boxer briefs back on and got in next to me. “Goodnight, sweetheart.”
“‘Night.” I snuggled down into a pillow that smelled like him and fell asleep almost immediately.
I woke up warm and cozy, the pillow under me vibrating in the most relaxing way. I froze. There wasn’t a pillow under me, there was a man. A man with a very happy lower appendage poking me in the belly. My body ignited and I resisted the urge to slide up and take him inside me. It would be wrong to attack a sleeping man. Very, very wrong.
It was also wrong to be snuggling with him in such a gratuitous full-body snuggle. But worse than that, I couldn’t stop smiling. This wasn’t a good thing. I didn’t love the feel of him or the smell of him, masculine and outdoorsy mixed with the intoxicating aroma of sex. No. This relationship was going to require self-control. It was temporary and he was a big jerk. A really, really big jerk.
A large hand gripped my ass and pulled me until my happy place was resting just right against his happy place. I let out a moan and then bit my lip to stop from making any more sounds.
“Relax,” he said. “It’s not snuggling. It’s foreplay.”
I laughed, relieved and…Just plain happy. Happy not to be waking up alone and happy to be so warm in his arms. I felt like sharing the happiness. “Well, then. Carrie the vineyard owner has just gotten to work and found Cody, the worker who wants more than a raise, in her office and very happy to see her. She tells him it’s time to play.”
“We could,” he said. “But don’t you usually go for a morning-”
His words stopped as I slid down his body and took him in my mouth, showing him just how much I’d rather play than run.
***
I couldn’t stop smiling. I smiled while I broke up a fight between two freshmen girls in the hall before class and I smiled when Freddy Rosten said fiction was a waste of time and paper and I even smiled when Missy Melcher complimented me on my taste in men, saying it was better to have a good-looking man than a smart one. I don’t know how she concluded that Cody was dumb, but I’d come to the same conclusion after seeing him for the first time, so I couldn’t really argue with her. There was just something counter-intuitive about the idea of a man that good-looking also being smart. I no longer cared if Cody was smart or sweet or an unemployed deadbeat, as long as he kept putting this smile on my face, I was pretty sure I’d forgive him just about anything.
I didn’t stop smiling until Kayla wasn’t seated in my third period class. Her homeroom teacher had marked her as absent, so she hadn’t just skipped my class. She was probably out sick. But a bad feeling crept into my gut, and I couldn’t help worrying about her.
I was still worried when I pulled into my driveway at five that evening. I stepped out of my car and smiled at Cody who waved from his porch. My smile fell when I saw his serious expression. He met me at my car. “Some kids showed up on your doorstep this afternoon. They wouldn’t tell me much more than their names, Kayla, Simon, and Jenny. I brought them inside and fed them, but they don’t trust me. They’re upset about something, but they won’t tell me what.”
My heart sank and tears sprang to my eyes. “Thank you for taking care of them. I’ll be over in five minutes.”
He nodded and went back inside. I ran to my own house and changed into jeans and a sweatshirt. I hurried back to Cody’s with no earthly idea what to do. I stepped inside and saw Kayla seated on his couch, Simon and Jenny curled up next to her. Kayla saw me and her face crumpled and tears sprang to her eyes.
I wrapped my arms around her and held her until her sobs slowed. She sniffled and sat up. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“It’s okay. What’s happened?”
Her expression went carefully blank. “Nothing. I just came by to pick up any assignments I might have missed today. I had a bad headache and couldn’t make it to school.”
Good smells were coming from the kitchen and I could hear Cody banging around in there. I was certain that Kayla was lying, but if I called her out on it, the next time she needed help she might not come to me.
“I’m hungry,” Jenny said.
Kayla brushed a few errant strands of hair out of the little girl’s face and smiled at her warmly. “You just had a snack that Mr. Cody fixed for you.”
“But I’m hungry and there’s no food at home.”
My heart banged hard against my chest cavity and tears pricked my eyes. “You all should stay for dinner,” I said. “I’m sure Cody is making plenty.” And if he wasn’t, they could have my food.
“Thank you,” Kayla said, not meeting my eyes. “That would be really nice.”
“I’m just going to step into the kitchen and speak to Mr. Cody,” I said. “Then Kayla and I will go next door to get her assignments.”
“Can we watch T.V., please Miss Harrison?” Simon asked. He was a small boy with big glasses and a wide, thin-lipped smile.
“Of course you can.” I grabbed the remote and handed it to Kayla. She gave me a weak smile and turned on the television, flipping right away to the cartoon network.
In the kitchen, Cody stood in front of a big pot, adding some spices and stirring. “Do you have enough there to feed the kids, too?”
He smiled. “I’m already ahead of you. I’m making spaghetti and there’ll be plenty for everyone.” He stepped closer and pressed a quick kiss to my lips. The action made my belly flop, because it felt too personal, too intimate, like a husband kissing his wife after a day at work. “Is she okay?” he asked in a low voice.
I sighed. “Not even a little bit. I’m going to try to talk to her alone, but she doesn’t seem to want to talk.”
He returned his attention to his pot. “I think she needs someone to talk to.”
I left him to his cooking, pulled Kayla away from the T.V. and walked next door with her. “Come on in.” I opened my door and let her inside, following closely behind. In the light of the setting sun, it’s full strength on the front of my house, I could see how thin Kayla had gotten over the last month, her cheeks hollowed out and her eyes bigger in her thin face.
I pulled a couple of sheets from my bag, essay questions about the latest book I’d assigned, and handed them to her. “This isn’t due until the end of next week.” I doubted she’d gone to any of her other teachers’ houses to get her assignments, but maybe she didn’t feel as comfortable with them. Kayla had eaten her lunch in my room on more than one occasion and we’d talked about books while she ate. She was a bit of a loner. Her best friend was a tenth-grade boy who lived next door to her, but she hadn’t gone to him either. I didn’t know a lot about him. He was a good kid, but I’d heard things weren’t very good for him at home.
She took the papers from me and gave me a weak smile. “Thank you. I’m sorry if we’re messing up your night with your boyfriend. We can go.”
“You aren’t messing up anything. I’d very much like for you to stay. Is it true what Jenny said? Do you not have any food at home?”
Kayla rolled her eyes, every bit the teenager annoyed with her baby sister. “We’ve got plenty of food. Just nothing she wants to eat. Dad…Um, he hasn’t gone grocery shopping yet this week, but he’s going tomorrow.”
“Does your father know the three of you are over here?”
She dropped her gaze to the floor and shook her head. “Dad just started a new job and he works late. He won’t be home until after ten, anyway.”
“I’d still feel better if you let him know where you are.”
“Um, okay,” she said. “Can I borrow your phone? I forgot to charge mine.”
“Sure.” I handed her my phone and she sent a quick text to her dad. She gave me back my phone and turned to the door.
“Kayla.” I waited, but she didn’t turn to face me. “If there’s anything you want to talk about
or anything I can do, please let me know.”
“Yeah, okay.” She left and trotted across the yard back to Cody’s house. I balled my hands into fists and shook them out, trying to shake my frustration that she wouldn’t tell me what was going on, that she wouldn’t let me help.
When I got back to the house, Cody had the kids seated at the table, plates and little glasses of milk in front of them. “Just in time,” he said when I walked through the door. He gave me a peck on the cheek and pointed me toward a seat at the other end of the table. “Are you sure you don’t need help with anything?”
“Just sit,” he said. “I’ve got this.”
I sat and watched him carry in a big bowl of spaghetti, the noodles and sauce already mixed together, and a plate of warm bread. I might not have kids of my own, but I babysat my way through high school and college and I knew how picky kids could be. I expected at least one of them to complain that she or he didn’t want noodles with sauce on them or refuse to eat the garden salad that Cody placed on the table next, but no one complained. Kayla scooped food onto Jenny’s plate and Simon piled his plate high on his own. Kayla took a more modest portion. They all waited for me and Cody to get our food, but the moment we started to eat, they dug in.
They ate like they hadn’t had food in days, and my heart broke for those poor kids. Maybe they were just normal kids with high metabolisms and a hungry day, but I suspected they hadn’t been getting enough food to eat for a while. Once they’d slowed down a bit, I did my best to make conversation.
“Jenny,” I said. “How are you liking kindergarten?”
“Fun.”
“And Simon, what grade are you in now?”
“Fourth.”
“That’s right,” I said, like I knew. “And who’s your teacher?”
“Mrs. Hollyoak.”
“I’ve met her a few times,” I said. “She seems like a really fun teacher.”
“I guess,” Simon said.
Okay, I was striking out here. I knew school wasn’t the best place to start a conversation with kids, but I was more than a little afraid to ask about anything to do with their home lives.
The Deadbeat Next Door Page 15