He repeated the same stroke over and over until her body began to move with him, in sync. Then he spread her wider, applied a firmer stroke and a long ‘Ahhh’ was his reward. He grinned again. He didn’t remember ever being giddy about this sort of thing, but damn if he wasn’t feeling giddy about it now.
He pulled his hands back from under her thighs and used his thumbs to open her more fully. When her hands entangled in his hair she arched toward his mouth, and he thought, You are so mine!
He slowly worked in his middle finger and was rewarded with a strangled groan.
“God, I love this,” he thought out loud and then started paying attention to exactly what Genevra reacted to and how he could give her more of it. Using two fingers and his mouth, he could feel her body tensing and her climax building. He stayed with what was working, increasing the pressure, increasing the momentum, and increasing his enthusiasm by slow increments until he heard a dirty word fall from her precious mouth.
That alone could have made him come, but he stayed with her body all the way to the crescendo and then sunk himself deep, deep inside.
***
Brooks pulled up the short drive to his house, exited his truck, and hit his front walk before noticing a dark shadow at the top of his porch steps. He stopped short, head snapping to attention. His buddy Vance sat there nursing a beer.
“What alternate universe have I just stepped into? You? Alone? At two a.m.?”
Vance tossed him a beer from the small cooler by his side. “You don’t know the half of it.”
“Oh, I might know half of it,” Brooks assured him, taking a seat on the landing with the cooler between them. “I had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. DuVal.”
“That woman is smokin’ hot.”
“Smokin’ hot and dating your dad.”
“Does Lolly know?”
“No. But I saw his Maserati blow in as we headed out.”
“They’re telling her tomorrow.”
“Oh. Good. How do you know?”
“We had the whole meet-and-greet over dinner tonight at our house. I told them I wasn’t comfortable knowing about this while Lolly was kept in the dark.”
“So you think this is serious?”
“Oh yeah. Which is why I’m bunking at your place tonight. I am not getting anywhere near all that. How was your night?”
“Pretty good,” he said, popping the top and taking a cold sip. “All things considered.”
“Yeah. What things are those?”
“Things like Lolly coming clean, as she put it, about why you spanked her this morning.”
Vance’s hands flew up as if he wanted to prove they weren’t still on her ass. “I told you she deserved it. And what kind of woman tells the man she’s dating that she kissed another guy?”
“The overly honest kind,” Brooks muttered, taking another sip of beer. “Which I suppose is to her credit, but I could have lived happily not having to conjure up those images.”
“Yeah, well, it only took about three minutes to pull her off of me.”
“Fucking A. You are such an ass—”
Vance rocked back in hysterical laughter. “I’m kidding! Totally kidding! It was nothing. I egged her on and she was more pissed than anything else. It’s not like she could get a punch in. She fought back the only way she could.”
“Right. So I’m sure you’ll understand why that tennis book of yours ended up in the dumpster behind The Tavern.”
“What the hell?”
“Dude! You’re spending time with Lolly so you can develop a friendship. Not goad her into kissing you. Or train her for a marathon. Or win a tennis tournament.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Of course you don’t. Look. Not everything is a fucking contest. Just ease up. On all of it. She’s a girl,” he said, drawing out the last word. “Try being nice for the sole purpose of being nice. Play tennis for the fun of it. No ulterior motives. Just enjoy her company.”
“No ulterior motives? Fuck that. I practically invented ulterior motives.”
“What was your ulterior motive for befriending me?”
Vance thought on it. “Survival, for one. Your mom’s cooking for another.”
Brooks laughed. “Well, I guess that’s worked out well then.”
“To ulterior motives,” Vance said, holding his bottle up in a toast. “Speaking of which, why do I get the feeling this thing you’ve got for Lolly isn’t new?”
Brooks shook his head. “It’s not. Though I pushed it way, way aside during the whole Tansy thing.”
“You dodged a bullet with that one, I keep telling you.”
“Well, now I’m finally starting to agree with you.” They clinked bottles across the cooler.
They sat in silence for a bit, and then Brooks had to ask, “Did you lose your little black book? I mean, I absolutely don’t mind putting you up. I’m just surprised I was your first choice.”
Vance rubbed his forehead before running his fingers through his hair, sweeping it out of his eyes. “Well, as much as I hate to say it, I think you’re right.”
Brooks laughed, relishing the words. “Imagine that. What was I right about…this time?”
Vance gifted him with a deadpan stare. “I actually don’t like any of the girls in my…little black book.”
“Is that so?” Brooks tried to hide his grin behind a sip of beer.
“Yes, asshole. And don’t take this the wrong way, but ever since Lolly kissed me, all I can think about is kissing. Not kissing Lolly particularly––”
“Good fucking thing.”
“But, just kissing. You know, PG-13 kind of stuff. So, I figure, okay, I’m trying to change my ways, maybe I’ll shock one of my…ah, regulars, and start tonight out with a little conversation, a couple of laughs, and ease into a good make out session.”
“Sounds very un-Vance like.”
“Right? So I start thinking about who I want to make out with and for the life of me, I can’t think of one I have any interest in talking to, much less swapping spit with.”
“Now that’s a problem.”
“Don’t I know it,” Vance mumbled as he reached into the cooler, grabbed another beer, and popped the top. He took a sip and then a deep breath. “So,” he started, “I’m pretty sure I could tolerate playing darts or pool with Lolly. You think we could take her out and give it a try?”
“Darts and pool? The three of us?”
Vance shrugged a shoulder. “Maybe she’s got a friend who wouldn’t mind participating in one of our so-called tutoring sessions. See if I can tolerate women in general without those ulterior motives at work.”
“Don’t see why not. And I gotta tell you, finding someone other than Lolly you want to kiss would make me sleep a whole lot easier.”
Vance cracked a grin. “She’s a damn good kisser.”
“Don’t I know it,” Brooks sighed.
***
Exhausted, Lolly tumbled into bed ready to fall into a deep sleep. The fact that her mother wasn’t home yet brought up the married man scenario as she closed her eyes. Any fallout from that would drift over Lolly, making her less the town’s sympathetic daughter and more the town’s scandal-ridden offspring. She turned on her side, pulling the covers up and tucking them under her chin in an effort to feel more secure.
Secure. Lolly smiled to herself and snuggled deeper. That’s exactly how she had felt while sitting on Brooks’ lap, kissing him goodnight with those muscled arms wrapped tight around her. His hands had stroked over her with such possessive attention that she felt cherished, well cared for, and appreciated. Secure.
Nervous, crazy, passionate, and out of control––all those things too. All those exciting things, like lust. Oh, he did make her long for him. His body. His touch. She turned her face into her pillow and let out a little yelp thinking of the naughty, naughty things they’d done.
He’d wanted her since she turned eighteen!
She flopped over, kicked her feet
free of the covers, and dragged a second pillow under her head.
‘That’s a conversation we are going to have at another time,’ he’d told her.
‘I just need to be sure it’s what you really want,’ he’d said, which she supposed was quite gallant. But when a girl stands up and takes her dress off, she’s making a very bold declaration of what she really wants.
If you’re going to fall for Vance, you may as well find out sooner rather than later.
Ah. Vance. As if dark, semi-brooding, and bossy were any match for radiant warmth, thoughtful tenderness and oh-so-sexy lips, hands, and body parts. Vance may be known as the Great Seducer, but Brooks seduced her emotionally as well as physically. When Brooks spoke, her soul held out its arms. He knew who she was and where she had been and more about what she wanted than even she recognized. And when he got a little bossy, her libido lit up.
She tucked her feet back under the covers, but threw them off the top half of her body.
Who has a naked woman in his arms and does not go for it?
Crap! Now she was wide awake.
He’d wanted her for five years, planned a very romantic evening, and left the condoms at home.
Who does that?
He was no prude. Didn’t seem inclined to save himself for marriage. My God, her body hummed just thinking about what he’d done to her. He liked sex. He knew what he was doing. He’d given her an explosive orgasm that first night without even using his hands. Brooks Bennett was a master at the art of working a woman’s body into a frenzy, yet he’d denied himself any sort of sexual gratification.
And that was what left her unsettled.
Why? Why? Why? she wondered, fingers twitching at her sides. She sat up and took a look at the clock, immediately starting to panic. I’ve got to get up and play tennis. I need some sleep. I’ll let this go for now and allow my mind to rest.
So she took deep breaths trying to soothe herself to sleep. She felt her muscles uncurl and relax. She felt her body sink further into the mattress. She felt her mind go blank and felt herself…drift…away…almost…to sleep….
He’s playing for keeps.
The thought appeared fully formed, causing her eyes to spring open.
Holy crap. Brooks Bennett wanted a wife. Not a summer fling.
And then Lolly’s mind really started to tumble.
Chapter Sixteen
Tucked around the entrance to Genevra’s kitchen, Hale sat at her tiny round table snuggled tight into a corner. He’d been in her home maybe ten times over the last three months, but today he sat and looked around with different eyes. It was nothing more than a modest cottage without air conditioning, granite countertops, or fancy appliances. But the kitchen was painted a sunny yellow and the pictures on the refrigerator and the colorful linens gave it a happy feel. It had seen a lot of action and probably offered a lot of comfort.
He wondered if she’d be willing to leave it.
Genevra came in and sat down at the table. “She’s still asleep. From the looks of things, she had a restless night. I didn’t have the heart to wake her.”
Hale’s hand came up of its own volition to stroke the cheek of the woman he loved. “Let her sleep. I’m not going anywhere.”
She closed her eyes, turning her face into his hand and kissing his palm.
“So,” he started, clapping both hands against his thighs, “once we’re married, will you and Lolly move into my house? Or should Mother, Vance, and I plan to move in here?”
A tinkling of joy met his ears as Genevra laughed. “You all are welcome here. But now that I’ve been exposed to the multi-jet shower experience, I’m not sure I can live without it.”
Hale growled as he grabbed her around her waist and wrestled her onto his lap. “You were so freaking hot in that shower,” he said against her mouth before devouring her as he remembered their morning. “I swear to God, you’re going to give me an early heart attack.”
Genevra must have been remembering too because she wrapped her arms around his neck, straddled his legs and started to rub up against him. He pushed up the hem of her little Tommy Bahama skirt and gripped her ass in his hands, pulling her closer as his erection built. “Is this another fantasy, Genevra?” he said through his kisses. “Making it in the kitchen? ’Cause I’m ready, willing, and able to get this one checked off right now.”
Her hands opened his belt, unbuttoned his linen shorts, and tugged at the zipper beneath. He thought about taking her on the kitchen table, but it was bound to bang against the wall and with Lolly upstairs, this was going to have to happen quickly and quietly. “Tell me,” he whispered, even as he pushed off his shorts and boxer briefs without letting her move off his lap. “Tell me,” he urged quietly as his fingers found her wet and ready.
“Yes,” she whispered.
“Yes, what?” he asked, smiling and stroking her while she moved against him.
“Make love to me in the kitchen,” she said, her eyes bleary.
“You don’t want me to make love to you,” he whispered, ripping her panties apart. “You want a quickie,” he said, sliding his cock through the wet folds of her body. “You want to fuck,” he teased, knowing she was too shy to say the word.
“Hale. For God’s sake. Just do it.”
He laughed into her neck and took her hips in his hands, lifting her and settling her on the tip of his erection. As she slid down onto him, he was transformed by the sensation her body provided. “Jesus Christ, how can this keep getting better?”
She started to move on him with a moan and a sigh. The sound was so poignant that he took his hands and brushed her hair back from her face. He cupped her head in his palms so he could watch her expression as she rode him in this cheerful little kitchen in the light of day. Her eyes were almost closed, dazed at best. She licked her lips often and continued with her small assurances in the way of sighs and moans that things were feeling really good down there. He kissed the corner of her mouth, her chin, and her cheek and egged her on to move as she liked. Her hips tilted a little then, and he couldn’t help but smile as she took her own pleasure by increasing the friction where she wanted it. He moved his hands from her hair and captured her breasts through her tank top and barely-there bra, and when he dared to touch her more aggressively he was rewarded with a longer, louder moan.
“Yesss. I like it a bit…a bit rougher,” she whispered.
Holy shit!
Hale about lost it right there. And even though it was probably a bad idea, he pulled up the hem of her tank top and whipped it over her head, tossing it on the floor. He pulled the lacy lingerie down under her breasts and allowed his hands to take on a no-nonsense attitude. And then he was the one moaning and sighing. Her soft, pale skin felt so good against his palms. Her beautiful full breasts were pliant in his hands. His fingers pressed into her flesh, playing with and molding her as he liked. He rubbed his thumbs forcibly over her taut nipples, and when she panted the word ‘harder,’ he pinched and plucked both nipples with increasing pressure.
He was moving underneath her now. He couldn’t help it. Having Genevra get so turned on caused him to lose track of his breathing, and most of his thought processes started to shut down. He was desperate to lay her flat on her back and really go to work, but instead he moved his mouth to her breast, captured her hips with his hands, and held her down against him so he could grind up inside her. His thumbs met in the middle to cover her sweet spot as his mouth feasted on her flesh. Somewhere in his brain came the worry that he was going to leave a mark, so he dragged his mouth from her breast to her ear and told her in no uncertain terms that he was ready for her to come all over his cock.
And that set her off. Loudly.
He covered her mouth with his and reveled in the sensation of her internal muscles milking him into his own out-of-body climax.
And he wasn’t any quieter.
“Jesus fucking Christ,” he said through a tightly drawn breath as he came. “Don’t move,” he pleaded.
“Don’t move. Don’t…. Holy Mother of God.” His breath expelled, and then he groaned, spilling the last of what he had. His whole body shook in release.
Genevra caught his limp head in her hands. “Hale,” she said against his cheek. “Oh Hale.” His arms came around her and he crushed her to him.
“I’m sorry,” he said as his body came down from the high. “I should…I should have had more restraint. My God! Did we really just do that? In your kitchen?”
They looked at each other with startled eyes. And then he whispered, “With your daughter asleep overhead?”
And the two of them burst into hysterical, albeit quiet laughter, covering their mouths and falling into one another.
Freshly showered just moments ago and here to introduce Lolly to her future stepfather, the two of them were now a mess. Sweaty. Sticky. Smeared. Clothes in tatters, literally. They laughed harder as they tumbled apart, realizing how ridiculous they looked and how insane their behavior was. “I had the restraint of Hercules for three months,” Hale insisted. “And now,” he said, holding his hands out to his sides, “nothing.”
“Yes, but that restraint thing is so overrated.” Genevra dangled her torn underwear at him.
Hale thrust a scolding finger in her direction. “I swear to God, if you tease me you will find yourself flat on your back. I have zero willpower around you. And apparently,” he said as he felt his body start to respond again, “a lot of stamina. So don’t get me started. He moved to the kitchen sink to clean himself up. Genevra joined him there, donning her tank top and combing fingers through her hair.
He took a fresh dish cloth and wet a corner and then carefully dotted under her eyes where her mascara had smudged. His thumb followed over the spot with a gentle stroke. After he surveyed her whole face, he finished with a quick kiss to her lips.
Summer on Main Street Page 25