by Ali Parker
"He's great. He's been really good to the staff and he's on the ball all the time." I sat down on the couch and leaned back, crossing my legs.
"He lost his wife about three years ago, and really became a good man out of it. Weird how death can force you into being a better person." Kent shrugged and sat beside me, reaching over to grab a portfolio. "Let's look at these final drawings for the advisory logo. I know Mitch was all for them. I assume I will be too."
"Highly unlikely, but I have an ace in the hole in my back pocket."
He smiled. "You made me an extra drawing?"
"Always. This isn't my first rodeo." I cringed as the guys hit the wall and laughed loudly. "Or should I say circus?"
*
The meeting with Kent was over by the time Damon walked into the living room, sweaty and huffing like a freight train.
"We all good?" He panted and lifted his thumb toward us.
I laughed, unable to help myself. I'd seen the more playful side of Damon Bryant a few times over the years, but nothing like he was around his little brother. It was comforting and depressing all in the same moment. My brother and I had a horrible, tense relationship. What I wouldn't have given for it to be more playful, or at least somewhat loving.
"We're good, and I should fire you and hire Erica here. She's the only one among you who doesn't goof off all the time." Kent stood up and glanced down at me. "You want a CFO job?"
"Not only no, but hell no." I stood up and twisted around, stretching my back.
"Well, damn. Never mind, son. You're stuck." Kent turned and handed me the final sketch. "I love the last one. Swing it by Mitch and let's get rolling on it. Great job, as always."
"Thanks." I bent down and put the sketch up.
"You all good?" Matt stopped at the opening to the living room, and I realized everyone else had gone into the kitchen or somewhere else in the house.
"Yeah. I'm glad we came down here together. It's more comfortable. You know?"
"I do know." He walked toward me, reached out and took my hand, and walked us to the back door. "Let's go for a walk."
"It's cold out there." I glanced back, thinking a jacket might be prudent.
"It's Texas in early November. It's not that cold." He chuckled and opened the door, walking us out into the chilly night.
"It is cold." I wrapped my free arm around myself and paused when we reached the grass at the bottom of the patio stairs. Stars filled up the sky, every inch of it crowded with their light. "Wow."
"Right?" He wrapped an arm around me and tucked me against his side. "It's beautiful out here. So clear that you could see for miles."
"I love it," I mumbled breathlessly.
"Come on. I want to show you something." He took my hand again and we walked across the large expanse of Kent's backyard.
"Has your father always lived here?"
"Yeah. He bought it when Damon was born, I believe. It was a hell of a lot of fun growing up here. We always had parties by the pool, or haunted houses in the woods. It was a good childhood." He glanced over at me. "How about you? Did you grow up in Seattle?"
"Yeah. My mom and dad had an apartment in the city." I brushed the front of my shirt, suddenly a little uncomfortable. "It wasn't anything like this, but it was okay."
"And you've known Lanie all your life?"
"Since I was in junior high." I smiled, thinking of my best friend. "She carried me through a lot of rough years."
"Because of your mom?"
"Yeah, and my brother. He's as mean as a snake." I moved closer to Matt as we reached the woods. "What exactly are we doing here?"
He paused and pointed toward the sky. "See that tree house up there?"
"Where?" I moved forward and squinted, finally making the dilapidated looking thing out. "Oh, wow. Did you guys build that?"
"Yeah," he paused to laugh, "we totally did. We wanted to see if we were good with our hands, you know, in case Dad didn't share his money, and neither of us ended up too smart."
I chuckled and turned to face him as he moved closer. "Are you trying to tell me that you've been cut out of the will and this is our future home?"
His expression softened as the moonlight danced across his handsome features. "I'd be fine with that. As long as you were involved."
I ran my hands down the thick muscles of his chest. "I'm terrified that you're going to run the minute I agree to let this thing between us become real."
"I know that." He touched the side of my face softly, his thumb dragging across my bottom lip. "We'll just take things slow. I can only promise you that I won't run so many times. I'm just going to have to prove it, but I'm not Tanner, Erica. I'm not going to show up and tell you that I'm not interested anymore."
"You say that now, but-" I glanced away as he cut me off.
"No buts. I'm not that guy."
"I want to believe that so bad, it hurts." I turned back to him as he leaned down and consumed me with a long, passionate kiss. All the signs pointed toward go, and I was without any doubt that I would start down that path with him toward forever, but first I had to figure out how to get my nails unhinged from the past.
He wasn't like Tanner at all, but then again, Tanner was never the type to love and leave either. People change all the time. Me included.
Chapter 15
Matt
After a few kisses the night before, I walked her back to the house and sat down on the couch to watch the fire die out. Where I wanted to sleep with her, I knew better. We were at a turning point. She needed to know that I had control of my hormones, unlike my big brother. His advice to fuck her every chance I got might be something that worked for him, but we weren't the same.
I woke to someone popping me in the head - hard.
"Ouch. Shit." I jerked up and narrowed my eyes on Damon as I tried to come to. "I swear I liked you more when you were depressed."
"That stings." He pressed his hand to his chest and frowned.
I would have asked what he wanted so damn early on a Sunday morning, but he was dressed to play golf. My father walked in and stopped by the edge of the living room.
"Are you still sleeping? Get up. Tee time is in forty minutes." He shook his head, turned and walked back out.
"Hey. No one told me we were playing." I got up and stretched, feeling like I'd slept on a box of rocks all damn night.
"We play every time we can on the weekends. You know this." Damon gave me a stern look and walked toward the backyard. "Did you sleep out here?"
"Yes. Don't give me a lecture either. I'm not even up yet." I walked toward the bedroom, hoping to sneak in and not wake Erica up. The sweet sound of her resting greeted me as I slipped into the darkness. The fact that I loved her wouldn't leave me alone. It wasn't just about the excitement and thrill of wanting to bed her, or make her laugh or hear her moan. It was about wanting to make up for anything in her past that left her unsure or unloved. Every part of me yearned to be that guy for her.
I unzipped my bag in the dark and pressed the button on my watch to see what the hell I was grabbing. I had an outfit that would work for a round of golf, though I'd not look nearly as well put together as my brother or father. What else was new?
"Matt?" Erica mumbled softly.
"It's just me, baby. I'm getting some clothes."
"More. Give me more," she whispered roughly before moaning low in her chest.
White-hot need pinpricked my skin. Was she dreaming?
I stood and let my clothes drop to the floor as I moved toward her.
The outline of her on her back, the covers twisted around her legs and her hair a mess had my dick standing to full attention within seconds. She moaned again and arched her back, her breathing becoming more labored.
Did she really dream of me? Something about that thought undid me. I sat down beside her on the bed and reached out, brushing my hand down the soft side of her throat, between her breasts and rested it on her stomach.
"You awake, baby?" I lea
ned over and pressed my lips to the small bit of skin showing between her shorts and tank top.
She groaned again and reached down, sliding her fingers through my hair as she writhed a little. I could smell her arousal, which had me throwing the idea of golfing to the wind. No fucking way I was leaving when she was wet and needy.
Indecision raced through my mind, tearing at me. Just because she dreamt of me making love to her didn't mean she would appreciate me-
"Matt. Please," she begged and lifted her hips again, rolling them in the faint light of morning.
"Anything you want, baby." I got up and locked the door before pulling my t-shirt over my head and stripping my pants off. I left my underwear. I didn't have a condom with me, so it wasn't like I could take full advantage of making love to her.
She reached for me as I moved onto the bed.
"You awake now," I whispered before moving to rest on top of her.
"I think so," she mumbled against my neck as I wrapped my arms around her and held her tightly against me. "I dreamt that you made love to me on the plane."
Her giggle was cute, sleepy.
"I'd love to do that, if you'd let me."
"Since when do you ask for permission?" She licked up the side of my neck, sending chill bumps all over my skin. "I need you. My body hurts."
"Then you can have me." I ran my hand down her side as I kissed at her soft mouth, licking and sucking at her bottom lip as I slipped my hand in between us. Her shorts were so incredibly tiny, so hot. It took very little effort to work down to her flesh, but when I did, time stopped. She was drenched, so wet and sticky that I couldn't help but think she'd already come a few times in her sleep.
"Shit," I moaned and kissed her again before pushing up and working on her shorts. "I don't have a condom, Erica. Just let me touch you, baby."
"No. Just don't come." She sat up, moving to her knees and tore her shirt off. The movement surprised me a little, but no more than her gripping my shoulders and forcing me to turn and drop down onto my back.
"It's impossible not to come with a woman like you on top of me." I reached up and palmed her heavy breasts, squeezing and tugging at her nipples as she gripped my undies and moved back, pulling them down my legs.
She bent down and ran the side of her face along my length, licking and nibbling on the head of my cock as I grunted and gripped the sheets.
I needed to bother her more often in the morning.
"I want you so bad." She moved up and ran the center of her body over my lower stomach, coating me in her wetness and making my balls contract.
I gripped her hips and shifted to impale her. She cried out and reached up to cup her tits as she didn't let a second pass before working me. It felt beyond right to fuck her skin against skin. So intimate and delicious.
"Oh, fuck," I groaned and reached down to grab her thighs. "Slow down, baby. I can't hold back like you can."
"Try," she growled, pressed her hands into the meat of my chest and rolled her hips like a well-trained dancer. "I love how big you are. You fill me up and stretch me out. I want more of you. All of you."
Where was this shit coming from? I wasn't sure, but I loved it.
"And your sweet little pussy takes it so well." I pushed at her shoulder, trapping her as far back as I could as I lifted my hips and pumped in and out of her.
The sharp sting of her nails was nothing compared to the flood of wetness that covered my when she cried out and came. Lust like nothing I'd ever imagined wrapped around me, dragging me under its depths and suffocating me.
I pulled her close to me and turned us, pinning her to the bed. "I'm falling in love with you, Erica. Did you know that?" I gripped the headboard and fucked her in long, hard strokes as she moaned in tandem with each delicious slap of our flesh.
"I want that. I want you to love me." She tightened her legs around me and cried out, coming again for me. The strong pulls of her body on my cock had me racing toward the peak of my orgasm. I jerked back and tensed, trying to catch my breath as the room spun. She wanted me to love her. I already fucking did.
"Hold on. I'm so close." I touched the side of her face as she moved to her knees and reached for me, wrapping her hands around my cock and pulling at it, one hand after the other. Faster and faster until I buckled forward and pressed my head against her shoulder.
"You're so far beyond hot," she spoke against my ear and continued to work me. The pressure was intense, the buildup almost bordering pain.
"I thought you didn't want-"
"Shut up and come for me," she barked and that was it.
I lifted up and pulled her against me, both of us on our knees. I made love to her mouth as she brought me through the orgasm and forced me to beckon to her in any way she wanted. I needed the high she provided. It was one of the reasons I kept myself tucked away from her.
Now... in the middle of that high, I couldn't imagine what the fuck would ever have me running from wanting it again. She was my heroine and I wanted nothing more than one more hit. And then one more. And then... one more.
*
"What the hell? Did you fall asleep on the floor by your bag?" Damon opened the front door and barked at me as I jogged toward him.
"Nope. Sorry. Had to talk to Erica for a few minutes." I winked and walked out toward the car where my father was already waiting.
"Talk? Really? About what?" He moved up beside me and smirked. "You dirty dog. You didn't talk. You fucked her."
"Shut it." I popped him in the chest. "I'm not a whore like you. I don't kiss and tell."
He rolled his eyes. "Um, you just did."
"Whatever. Shotgun." I jogged around the car, feeling like a million bucks. Everything about the woman I was in love with was right for me. Where I was sensitive, she was strong, where she needed a firm hand, I had one to give. We were perfect for each other. My fears were complete bullshit.
"You all right?" My father glanced over at me.
"Yep. Much better now. Just needed to work something out with Erica." I got in and buckled up as Damon got in the backseat.
"Or work Erica. Whatever way you want to look at it." He chuckled as my dad snorted.
"Seriously, dude. Don't disrespect her like that." I glanced back in the backseat and gave him a look. "I'll climb back there and whoop your ass."
"Just because you're bigger doesn't mean you're going to whoop anything." He smirked and grabbed his crotch. "Suck it."
"Damon. Really?" My dad pulled down the rearview mirror. "I swear, the two of you idiots get together and all of a sudden, you're ten again."
"Twelve," Damon and I answered in tandem, which started a laugh, easing the tension between us.
"Hey, I'm really proud of you for joining the firm. I know you weren't interested in it at first, but it seems like it might be a good fit." My father reached over and rubbed my chest like he did when I was little and worried about something. "At least until your art gets to selling and you can do that full time."
"You would be okay with that?" I trapped his hand on my chest.
"Absolutely. I don't want you to be anyone other than who you are, Matt. I just want you to figure out who that is and start living the life I know you're capable of living." He rubbed me once more and pulled his hand back.
Damon leaned up between us and sniffled, wiping at his eyes. "This is just beautiful."
"Fuck you." I reached over and pushed at his face. "How Bethany puts up with you is beyond me."
"Karen puts up with me too. They all deserve a prize." My father laughed and turned down the long road that would lead to his favorite country club. "To our women? Erica included, I believe?"
"Yeah... she's definitely included." I nodded and pursed my lips, a little overwhelmed by how blessed I was to see her giving in, if only a little.
There wasn't much I wouldn't be willing to do to keep us moving in the right direction. Being sensitive to how she reacted to me when I got back to the house was key. If she wanted love and ador
ation, it was hers. If she needed time, I'd back off a little.
Maybe.
Chapter 16
Erica
The weekend in Dallas caused something to shift deep inside of me. Why was I fighting against a relationship with Matt? I needed to talk things out with someone. I sat at my desk on Monday morning, trying to reason through how to force myself past the stone wall of fear that kept resurrecting inside of me every time Matt wasn't around. It was childish and quickly becoming an annoyance.
Lanie would be in class, but maybe I'd catch her on her conference time. I picked up the phone and walked to my door, closing it and pressing my back to it.
"Hey. You okay?" She sounded a little out of breath.
"Yeah. Just wanted to hear your voice." I squeezed my eyes closed and took a shaky breath.
"What's up? You don't sound okay. You sound like you're on the edge of tears."
"I am." I pressed my fingers to the bridge of my nose and slid down the door until my butt hit the ground. That I had on a skirt and my panties would be showing to the world outside my window was irrelevant. I was on the edge of a breakthrough and I needed someone to sling shot me through it. Lanie was perfect for the job.
"Oh no. Did Matt leave again?"
"No. He stayed in Dallas for a few days, but he'll be back in town on Wednesday or Thursday. It was a good visit. I love his family. They're really good to me."
"Any wild sex stories you want to share with your pathetically alone friend? I need to vicariously live through someone. I was even thinking about picking up a porn the other night from that creepy adult store near the grocery store that you love."
I snorted in laughter as a tear rolled down my cheek. "I'm so in love with this guy, Lanie."
"That's awesome!" The joy in her voice was something I wanted for myself. I just wasn't sure how to find it. "Or... it's not awesome?"
"It's awesome, but I'm terrified. I've spent most of my life being strong and aggressive, but with Matt, I want to curl up and purr like a kitten. It's disturbing. It pisses me off. I have nothing to protect myself with where he's concerned. I hate it."