The Plan

by Tawdra Kandle

  Smirking, I stepped over the threshold. “Emmy, I’m not that much of a gentleman.”

  We stood just inside her tiny living room. It was neat without being fussy; the furniture was worn, but it was clean. A colorful braided rug lay in the middle of the gleaming wood floor.

  She spread out her hands. “It’s not much, but it’s home. And it’s mine.” Her mouth firmed, and she set her jaw. Yeah, a fair amount of pride there, and well-earned, I knew. When Eddy took off for bigger waves, he didn’t leave much in the way of support. Emmy had managed to hold onto this house and keep her kids fed and clothed without taking any help, even though I knew it was offered. I remembered Matt saying in exasperation that he hoped Emmy Carter didn’t starve on her pride. We’d never have let that happen, of course. But she’d scrapped her way through a shitty time, and she deserved to be proud of what she’d done.

  “It’s . . . warm.” That was exactly right, I decided. “It feels like home. Like you could sit down and have a beer, be comfortable. You can feel the love.” I lifted one shoulder. “Sounds corny, but it’s true.”

  She smiled, and her eyes lit with it. “That’s the biggest compliment you could give me. My furniture is almost all hand-me-downs, and this place could use a few updates, for sure. But we like it.” She hooked her handbag over the top of a ladderback chair and turned toward the arched doorway that looked as though it led into the kitchen. “Want something to drink? I’m having a glass of wine. That’s my routine after work on weekends.”

  I followed. “Sure. Wine sounds good.”

  “It’s better than just good. Jude and I worked this out as part of my salary.” She reached to the far side of the refrigerator to a small cabinet. “Daniel made me try it one night, and I just fell in love. But it’s way beyond my budget—I’m lucky to be able to swing a bottle of white at the grocery store. So Jude started giving me a bottle every other month or so and calling it a bonus for good work.” Emmy uncorked it and took down two glasses from a shelf. I watched in silence as she gave us each a healthy serving.

  Handing me a glass, she lifted her own goblet and raised her eyebrows, waiting for me to make the toast.

  “To friends.” I touched the rim of my glass to hers. “And . . . to whatever comes next.”

  She held my eyes for a moment and then sipped her wine, closing her eyes and making a humming sound that ran right through me, making my cock sit up and take notice.

  “Have a seat.” Emmy nudged out one of the kitchen table chairs with her foot. “Unless you’d rather hang out in the living room.”

  “No, this is fine.” I scraped the chair over the tile and sat down. Emmy did the same across the table. She leaned back, sighing and rotating her neck. I watched as she arched, stretching her back, pulling her green T-shirt tight over her breasts. Clearing my throat, I glanced away. “Was it a long night?”

  “I’ve had longer. And we’re not in season yet, so it was mostly local people, which is always nicer for me. Not that I don’t like meeting new people—I do. But not when they’re like the jerk tonight.”

  My lip curled, thinking about the dick who’d been harassing Emmy when I got there. “Do you get a lot of that?” It crossed my mind that maybe Jude needed to hire a bouncer for weekends. It wasn’t fair to expect Emmy to handle security while she was running everything else.

  “Nah.” Emmy leaned her elbows on the table, both hands cradling the goblet. “Most of them are pretty chill. We get some college kids who trickle down from Daytona, but they’re fun. Other than that, it’s families or older couples. Every now and then, someone gets rowdy, but I can handle it. Usually there’s someone around to lend a hand if not.” She smiled, set her glass down on the table and reached one hand across to touch my arm. “Like you were tonight.”

  “Yeah, you had that handled. But it was a good excuse for me to get snarly with someone. I need to do that every few days, or I implode. So thanks for letting me bleed some of the mean out.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Cooper, you’re not mean. You’re just . . . intense. You’re an artist.”

  I laughed. “Yeah, that’s my excuse. My mom used to say I didn’t play well with others. Still don’t.”

  “It’s not like you’re a loner. You have friends. You’re not a recluse.”

  “No, but only because those friends have to put up with me. We’ve known each other too long. And they don’t let me hide away very often.”

  Emmy bit the side of her lip, reminding me how soft and pliant that mouth had been under mine back at the bar. “You came out tonight without any of them forcing you. At least I’d assume you did. I didn’t see any of the posse dragging you into the Tide.”

  “No.” I tried to remember what had made me decide to head out tonight. “Sometimes I get tired of my own shit company.” I studied her across the table, taking in the whole enticing package that was Emmaline Carter. Her dark red hair, thick and wavy, was pulled up into a ponytail, but more than one strand had escaped and was curling down her neck. Huge hazel eyes, rimmed with dark lashes, watched me with something more than interest. She was still worrying the side of her lip between her teeth, and it was all I could do not to reach over, lift up her arms and kiss her hard, until she couldn’t breathe.

  The slim column of her neck led to the scoop neck of her T-shirt above a rack that was just my style. Not huge, but perfectly shaped, so that I could almost feel them in my hands.

  I clenched my fists to keep from jumping the gun. There were a few things I had to clear up before we made this leap: my standard waivers and disclaimers.

  “Emmy, I know I asked you if I could come home with you tonight, and I’m happy you said yes. But I just want to be clear—”

  “Cooper.” She hadn’t moved her hand from my arm, and now her fingers gripped my wrist. “If this is your warning about how tonight doesn’t mean anything, it’s just going to be sex, no strings attached—save it. You don’t have to tell me how it is. Preaching to the choir, buddy.” She leaned back again, casting her eyes up to the ceiling. “My life is full and complicated. Between trying to deal with the kids, keeping us all afloat with the pies and my hours at the Tide, I don’t have time to take a bubble bath, let alone try to make a relationship work. I promise, I’m not looking for long-term. Hell, I’m not looking for short-term. I’m just after a good time tonight.”

  My mouth may have dropped open a little. Wow. Emmy had just become my dream girl. “It’s not that I don’t like you, Emmy, or that I don’t think you’d be a great girlfriend. But I don’t have it in me for anything more than a night or two, now and then. I’ve tried it, twice, and I suck at commitment.”

  “I don’t feel insulted at all, Coop. Seriously.” She cocked her head, and a teasing smile curved her pretty lips. “I’m going to come clean about something I never thought I’d tell anyone, least of all you. I had a huge crush on you in high school. Like, massive. I used to daydream about the day you’d see me and realize we were meant to be together. And I used to fantasize that you’d hold me, the way you did tonight at the Tide, and kiss me . . . and more.” She laughed a little, shaking her head. “The crush went away, and I’m not jonesing anymore for you to decide I’m your one-and-only, but damn, Cooper. I’d be lying if I said I’m not up for making some of those teenaged fantasies a reality tonight.”

  I stood up and moved slowly around the table between us. Dropping to my haunches next to Emmy’s chair, I dragged it around so that she faced me, her legs between mine, and laid my hands on her jeans-clad thighs. Her muscles jumped at my touch, and I pushed my advantage a little, flexing my fingers.

  “So tell me, Emmy.” I drew small circles with both my thumbs. “What kind of teenaged fantasies did you have about me? About us?”

  That flawless pale skin flushed a pretty shade of pink, but judging by the bold gleam in her eyes, it was more interest than embarrassment. “Well, I was pretty young and innocent back in those days, remember. So there was a lot of kissing and being swept int
o your arms. Maybe some sweaty make-out sessions in the backseat of your car. But I’m happy to say I’ve come a long way since then.”

  She leaned forward, sliding her hands up my arms until they rested on my shoulders. For a moment, she looked into my eyes as though trying to decide what to do first. She cupped my face in her fingers and closed the distance between us, capturing my mouth.

  Just as it had back at the Tide, the first touch of her lips to mine sent a zing of burning need through my body. I had to fight the urge to knock her out of the chair and onto the tile floor. My hands traveled up over her hips to rest on her waist where it dipped, and I dug in my fingers.

  There was no doubt that Emmy wanted this as much as I did. Somehow that only made me hotter, and my cock grew, pressing against the zipper of my jeans. Her mouth was open, her tongue delving to find mine and wrap around it, while her hands stroked my jaw. I tightened my grip on her middle and urged her forward on the chair until her legs had to spread. She wrapped them around me, never breaking our kiss, and I couldn’t wait any longer.

  I ran my hands down to the tempting little ass that had been making me crazy all night at the bar, watching her bend and shimmy. Emmy lifted enough that I could slip under her, and I lifted her at the same time that I stood.

  She tore her lips from mine just long enough to breathe the words into my ear.

  “Bedroom. Down the hall, last room on the right.”

  And then she was on me again, as if that brief break had cost her something precious. I stumbled out of the kitchen toward the dark hallway just beyond. There was just enough light from the kitchen to illuminate the first turn, but then I was on my own. I freed one hand to feel along the wall, distractedly counting doors.

  “Here.” Emmy reached back and pushed at the wall behind her, which apparently was a door that opened to reveal a small bedroom.

  There was sufficient moonlight shining through the open blinds that I could make out the furniture. The bed was a double, neatly made, and I managed to narrowly avoid bumping us into a large oak dresser. The furniture-artisan part of my brain noted that none of the pieces matched. And then I was laying Emmy onto the mattress, and I didn’t care what any of the furniture looked like.

  With her hands free, she grasped the bottom of my shirt and pulled it up, trapping my arms and head until I lent a hand, tossing it away. Her gaze wandered down my chest, and she smiled almost wolfishly as her eyes half-closed.

  “God, you’re gorgeous, Cooper.” Her fingers traced down the center of my pecs to skim over my abs, and I shivered.

  Emmy laughed softly. She raised her head, touching her lips to a spot just below my nipple, brushing a kiss there before her tongue darted out to lick.

  “And you taste damned sinful, too.” She spoke against my heated skin and moved her mouth higher to cover the flat disc. I groaned when her teeth nipped.

  “Scoot up some.” I urged her toward the center of the bed, and she acquiesced, sitting up a little to slid her backside. I took advantage of her position to strip off her shirt and throw it over my shoulder. The bra she wore beneath the tee was a simple cream-colored cotton, nothing particularly sexy, but on her, with her tits spilling out over the top, it was damned erotic. I mimicked her move and traced the slope of one breast before letting my mouth follow its path.

  “I didn’t expect anyone else to see my underwear tonight.” Emmy propped herself on her elbows, a position that thrust her boobs forward even more. I licked my lips and tried to pay attention to what she was saying. “So I’m sorry it’s so . . . normal. Boring.”

  “There’s not the least thing boring about you or your body, Em.” I palmed both of her breasts and let my thumb circle the shadows of her nipples beneath the material. “You’re beautiful.”

  She smiled but shook her head. “Thanks, but I don’t harbor any illusions about how I look. I’ve had three kids and I’m getting closer to forty every day. I don’t have time or money to spend hours in a gym, and if I were to lay out on the beach, I’d fry instead of tanning.” One slim shoulder lifted. “But this is me.”

  The way she spoke reminded of how she’d described her house. I frowned. “Emmy, I don’t want to argue with you, but trust me. I don’t sugarcoat shit. If I didn’t think you were fucking sexy, I wouldn’t say you are. I just wouldn’t say anything at all.” I bent my head over one tit and sucked the stiff peak into my mouth, cotton bra and all. Emmy hissed in a breath.

  “Okay, I guess I have to believe you.” She was breathless, and knowing I’d made her that way made me smile again. “I don’t want you taking your mouth off me long enough to argue.”

  I moved my head to her other boob, pausing between them just long enough to whisper to her. “I may be an artist with wood, but seeing you . . . it makes me wish I had the talent to paint. I’d do your portrait just like this, with the moonlight spilling over your alabaster skin. Only you’d be completely nude.”

  “That can be arranged.” Her words ended in abruptly when I sank my teeth into her other nipple. I felt her watching me and opened my eyes.

  “Lean up. Let me take this off.” I insinuated my fingers under her back, reaching for the hook to her bra. “I want you naked under me. And I can’t wait anymore.” I reached the clasp and twisted until it sprang loose. While she slid the straps off her arms, I shifted my attention to the button of her jeans. Emmy sucked in her stomach when the back of my fingers touched her just above the waistband.

  “Do you want me to do that?” She half-sat again, her eyes on my hand.

  “Absolutely not. This is part of my fun.” I finally got the button undone and eased down the zipper, revealing a pair of brightly flowered bikinis. I ran my index finger just under the elastic. “Festive.”

  “Oh, God, I’m wearing the flowers.” She let her head drop back, laughing. “I forgot. I was in hurry after I dropped the kids with my parents, and I just got a quick shower and pulled out the first pair I found.”

  “I like them. Wasn’t there some book about a woman’s, um garden?”

  She laughed even harder. “I can’t believe you brought that up. Yes, okay, so I have flowers covering up my lady garden. Go ahead and enjoy the irony.”

  “I’d rather enjoy your lady garden.” I tugged on her jeans and she lifted her hips. As they dropped to the floor, I resettled myself between her legs, my face at the juncture of her thighs. Pressing small quick kisses over the cotton of her underwear, I teased the soft skin just below the edge. “Do you have any issues with multiple orgasms?”

  “God, no.” She pushed herself up a little further to see me. “But I have to warn you . . . it’s been a long time. I might not take—oh, my God.”

  Her voice trailed off on a long moan when I slipped one finger inside her panties to explore her wet folds. She dropped back flat on the mattress, and her hands, near her hips, clutched at the comforter.

  I teased her a minute with my finger before I couldn’t deal with the underwear in my way anymore. With a muttered curse, I pulled it off her, not caring where it landed. Holding her legs apart, I dropped my mouth to her waiting pussy.

  My lips covered her, and I licked once in a long, slow stroke before zeroing in on the small button of nerves that clearly needed the most attention. The moment my tongue touched her there, Emmy arched her back, crying out words I couldn’t understand. I slid two fingers inside her, curling to find the spot that would make her insane. I must’ve hit it right away, because she went stiff and still, her mouth partly open and her eyes screwed shut. I pumped my hand against her and kept my mouth moving until she sagged back onto the bed and moved her hand to push sluggishly at my head.

  Her skin had flushed a beautiful pink, and her body was lax and lazy. I didn’t think I’d ever seen a more enticing, erotic sight as Emmy just after she’d come.

  Kissing up her stomach, pausing to touch my tongue to the underside of her breast, I lay alongside her, my hand skimming lightly over her arm. She turned her head, and her eyes flashed
open to meet mine.

  “Holy fuck, Cooper.” She almost slurred the words, as though she’d had a little too much wine. “Holy freaking fuck.”

  “I take it that’s good?” I leveraged myself up on one elbow and kissed her lips, this time with a lazy softness.

  “Good isn’t even in the same universe. It was . . . beyond even my grown-up fantasies. But fifteen year-old Emmy is shocked out of her mind.”

  I laughed, teasing one of her nipples with the very tip of my finger. “Glad I could accommodate both of you.”

  She rolled onto her side, laying her hand on my cheek. “Well, it was a beginning. After all, I’m pretty sure someone mentioned multiple orgasms.” She pressed her mouth to my chest as her hand dropped the button of my jeans. “And you have on way too much clothing. You’re making me self-conscious.”

  “We can fix that.” I began to help her, only to have my hand batted away.

  “Hey, hey, no taking my fun away. As a matter of fact, there’s something I always wanted to try. You game?”

  “Baby, no man alive would ever say no to those words, when the woman speaking them is naked and has her hand near his dick.”

  “Then lay back and let me do my thing.” She shimmied down my body, pressing her tits to my chest and making me groan. It was my turn to lean up and watch as she brought her mouth to the button and took it into her mouth, working to undo it with her teeth and tongue.

  On paper, I never would’ve thought having a woman undo my jeans with only her mouth would be sensual. But Emmy’s chin rubbed over my zipper as she worked, and once she had the button free, she caught the zipper tab in her teeth and tugged it down . . . with frustrating and mind-blowing slowness, all the while her hot breath blew on the part of my body that felt like it just might explode at any moment.

  When she’d unzipped the jeans, Emmy hovered for a second before she brought her mouth back down to cover me over the cloth of my boxers. She licked the ridge of my cock until the material was soaked. And then she sat up and slapped at my ass.