Why Now?

by Carey Heywood

  “So long,” I sigh.

  “Tell me about it,” he prompts, his hand still moving over my skin.

  “Well, I drew the short straw and had to take the meanest patient.”

  Tilting my head back, I look up at him and he frowns down at me. “Do I need to beat someone up?”

  Pressing my hand to his chest, I feel the beat of his heart.

  I shake my head. “She wasn’t mean to me but the last time she was in she made one of the front desk girls cry.”

  His frown disappears. “She’s lucky she wasn’t mean to you.”

  “Oh yeah?” I tease, the stresses of my day melting away.

  This is what I was missing. He’s been so closed off and bottled up. It may be just for tonight but it’s like I have him back.

  He brushes his lips across mine. “Yeah.”

  Then, he tells me about his day and the guy Jimmy had to fire because he showed up high to the worksite.

  “High?” I gasp. “But how’d he get there.”

  Jake shrugs, my body moving with his. “No clue. He didn’t drive, but I can’t see him getting a ride either.”

  “That’s so sad,” I murmur and he nods.

  “Jimmy said they worked together for another company a couple of years ago and the same thing happened.”

  “Why’d Jimmy hire him,” I ask.

  He shifts onto his back and tucks me into his side.

  “The guy swore he was clean and Jimmy wanted to give him a chance. They were friends. You might know the guy; he’s closer to your age, Geoff Knopf.”

  I sit up, my jaw dropping. “We graduated together.”

  Jake’s gaze moves to my breasts and I lie back down, shifting back against him. He doesn’t say anything for a while so I break the silence.

  “I didn’t know he did drugs.”

  His hand moves to my back again, this time moving up my spine and stopping when he reaches my head. His fingers thread through my hair and he cups the back of my head, his fingers massaging my scalp.

  “God, that feels good,” I moan and he chuckles.

  “Thank you, Kacey,”

  Reaching up, I caress the powerful plains of his chest. “Thank me? You’re the one rubbing my head.”

  “You know what I mean,” he replies, but explains it anyways. “For being here for me.”

  “I’m not—“

  He stops me. “Don’t say you’re not doing anything. You are, and it means a lot to me.”

  “Okay,” I breathe.

  “I used to think about you and try to picture what my life would have been like if I never had to leave Ferncliff. What you would have said if I had asked you out on a date.”

  I laugh. “You know I would have said yes.”

  He pushes his chin down, turning his face to kiss my forehead. “I hoped so. I tried to guess what kinds of things you would like. I knew you loved the beach but I was guessing in my head about other stuff like movies and music.”

  We’ve had a chance to learn these things over the past ten weeks. It feels like so much more time has passed.

  “What were your guesses?” I ask.

  “Not Justin Bieber,” he laughs.

  Blushing, I argue, “His new stuff is really good.”

  He kisses my forehead again. “Whatever you say, Killer.”

  We talk like this until we fall asleep.

  My eyes blink open. The morning light is a soft whisper against my curtains. It’s early and warm, especially at my back and there’s a band of heat across my waist, another across my chest.

  How strange.

  Shifting, the heat moves with me. Reaching up, I rub my eyes and yawn.

  Why am I so hot?

  It starts coming back to me, last night, the shower, then getting into bed. That heat behind me is Jake, and his hand is on my boob.

  Glancing over my shoulder, I relax when I see he’s still asleep. All I need to do is get out of bed without waking him. Then I can put on some clothes.

  My stomach rumbles, reminding me that we missed dinner last night. So my order of priorities is clothes, bathroom, and then food.

  Pressing my lips together, I reach down to shift Jake’s hand off me. His hand flexes on my chest making me freeze. Is he awake?

  Slowly, so, so slowly, I turn my head to peer over my shoulder at him and see him staring back at me.

  My eyes widen and I whip my head back.

  He chuckles, his front pressing into my back, his arms tightening around me.

  His lips are on my neck. “You feel so good in my arms, baby.”

  “I need to put on clothes, go to the bathroom, and then eat, in that order,” I reply.

  He laughs even though his lips are still pressed to my neck. “I hope soon you’ll need to stay naked, jump me, and let me rock your world, in that order.”

  I quiver, a full on, whole body, quiver. He wants me, or maybe it’s only morning wood pressing against my ass right now. I want him too, but . . .

  This isn’t something I have experience with. As much as I do want him, I want to be ready, not worried that my stomach might grumble or that I have to pee.

  He kisses my neck again. “Want to go to Lola’s for breakfast?”

  He is the best guy ever.

  “That sounds perfect,” I whisper.

  He gives me an extra squeeze before letting me go. Then he pulls his pillow out from behind his head and covers his face with it.

  “Go get dressed. I won’t look.”

  Him getting that I’m still shy around him means a lot to me. Scrambling out of bed, I hurry to my bathroom to grab my robe.

  Jake knocks on the door a few minutes later, already dressed, and we swap. While he’s brushing his teeth and shaving, I get dressed.

  It’s cool out so I slip on a jacket before we leave. He holds my hand as we walk.

  “Thank you,” I blurt out after we’ve crossed the street.

  “For breakfast?”

  “No,” I reply, squeezing his hand. “For not pushing me.”

  He doesn’t say anything so I glance up at him.

  He stops and moves in front of me. Cupping my face, he leans down to kiss my forehead.

  “We’re building something here, Kace, something I want to last the rest of our lives. If you want me to wait until our wedding night, I will. Last night you reminded me that we are in this together. You’re it for me. That work for you?”

  Covering his hands with mine I reply, “That works for me.”

  He leans down to brush his lips over mine and I add, “I don’t want to wait until we’re married.”

  He grins, his lips still on mine. “Okay.”

  In fact, part of me wants to drag him back to our apartment right now. Of course, there’s a decent chance I’ll chicken out if I did that, so breakfast makes more sense at the moment.

  Still, knowing that he’d wait that long for me after I waited so long for him settles warm and sweet in my belly. I’m pretty sure I’m not ready for sex. Not because I don’t love or want him but because I’m nervous about how inexperienced I am.

  “I’d like to try other stuff,” I admit, looking off to the side.

  He straightens. “Other stuff?”

  Flushing, I lift my shoulder and drop my hands to his waist. He lowers his hands as well, mirroring mine.

  “Yeah . . .” I trail off.

  Grasping my chin, he turns my face until my eyes are on his. “Any stuff you want to do, I’ll do.” He leans down until his lips are at my ear. “Over and over again, whenever and wherever you want.”

  My jaw drops, my nipples tighten, and my belly cartwheels down the street as my knees wobble. “That sounds good,” I manage.

  He steps away and back to my side taking my hand in his. Then, he starts to walk like I didn’t just have a full body reaction to his words.

  His hand tugs on mine and I come unstuck. Once we reach Lola’s he holds the door open for me. It’s always busy there on weekend mornings so instead of wa
iting for a booth, we sit at the counter.

  Georgia, or Mrs. Fairlane as Jake calls her, is working it.

  My brain is still half-asleep so I order the breakfast special on autopilot.

  Mrs. Babcock, one of the biggest gossips in town is sitting on the stool next to Jake’s. She takes one look at me and then tells Jake, loudly, I usually only order an omelet so he must have really worked up my appetite if I was getting the special. She said that aloud, on a Saturday morning, at Lola’s.

  Pinpricks of heat blossom across my cheeks, my neck, and my chest.

  As soon as she turns away, I lean in close to Jake. “Did she say what I think she said?”

  He adjusts me and drapes his arm around me. “It won’t help if I tell her we missed dinner. Don’t mind her, though, it’s so loud in here we’re the only ones who heard her.”

  Reaching for my tea, replying loud enough for everyone to hear, “I don’t care. I know the truth. I love you and you love me. Let them think whatever they want. Their opinions of me and their petty gossip are no longer my concern.”

  There was a time when I was embarrassed that people knew how much I wanted to be with Jake. It’d be crazy if I let it continue to embarrass me now that I am with him.

  He stares at me, a tick working in his jaw. “I’m thrilled it no longer concerns you, but since you concern me, I’m ending this shit right now.”

  “Jake?”

  He stands and spins my stool so we’re both facing everyone in the diner. Draping his arm across my shoulders he announces, “I get that in a small town, for some people there isn’t much excitement outside of watching and judging other people living their lives.” He makes a point of looking right at Mrs. Babcock, and she shrinks under his gaze. “I’m going to clear any potential gossip about Kacey Albright and myself right here, and right now. We’re together, and I mean together in a way that means one day in the future her name is going to be Kacey Whitmore. Since that’s out in the open, there’s no reason any of you need to concern yourselves about our relationship. In fact, I’m going to get pissed if I hear any other speculation about us.” He pauses for a beat. “We clear on this?”

  It’s no surprise to me that not one person makes a peep. He glances down at me before dipping his head to kiss my temple. Then, he spins my stool back around like nothing happened.

  Oh boy.

  “Oh my God,” she groans. “Right there. Don’t stop.”

  Like I would ever stop, I think to myself.

  Kacey is on her back. My lips are wrapped around one of her nipples and I’m fucking her with two of my fingers.

  “Oh, God,” she groans again and I move my mouth from her breast to her ear.

  “You like that, baby?”

  She responds by lifting her hips up off the bed as she holds my hand to her. She was shy at first, but hell, once she got going she is so responsive. Let’s just say she likes all of the “other stuff” we’ve been exploring over the last week.

  Tonight is the first time she’s been completely naked with me since that night she stepped into my shower. The lights in her room are off, but the one in the bathroom is still on.

  Even in the dim light, I feast on her beauty. She’s all cream, her pale skin a contrast to the dark room. Her curves have me dreaming of the day I’m deep inside of her, my hands full of her round ass.

  She comes, her body tightening around my fingers. Her eyes go wide and then flutter closed as she gently shudders against me. Christ, she has no idea how sexy she is. Slipping my fingers from her, I resist the temptation of licking them. It would embarrass her. I’m working her up to the idea of my mouth between her legs, but she’s not there yet.

  She’s boneless as I turn her onto her side and tuck her against me.

  Then, I reach down for her covers and pull them over us. She’s still shy about her body. My goal in life will be getting her over that. She’s the sexiest woman I’ve ever seen. She should be confident in that, especially around me.

  For now, I’ll cover her up because it makes her more comfortable. That’s all I care about. She places her hands on my chest, leaning into me to kiss my neck.

  All I’m currently wearing is a pair of basketball shorts. Her touch feels fucking amazing.

  One of her hands moves down to the waistband of my shorts, her skin so hot against mine. This dance, her exploration of my body, is one we’ve done a lot recently.

  She’s comfortable with being topless around me now, as long as the lights are off. She’s also gotten used to touching me, having touched almost every inch of my upper body. This is the closest her hands have come to touching my dick. Making her come already has me harder than I’ve been in a long time. Her hand being so close makes my cock jump.

  Not wanting to spook her, I lie perfectly still. Hell, I’m even holding my breath. I want her to touch me, but she has to be the one to initiate it.

  “Can I?” She asks.

  “Yeah, baby,” I exhale.

  Her hand doesn’t go into my shorts, which is no surprise. Instead, her fingertips ghost over my shorts so softly I wonder if I only imagined her touch.

  My cock strains towards her. Her fingertips move over me again, this time, there is no doubt of her touch. Pinching my eyes shut, I resist the urge to cover her hand with mine.

  “Am I hurting you?”

  Popping one eye open I see her eyes on my face. “No, baby.”

  Her forehead creases. “You look like you’re in pain.”

  Biting back a smile, I dip my head so I can kiss her. “Maybe that’s because it’s a good kind of pain, because it hurts so good I can already imagine what it will feel like when there’s nothing between us. Maybe it’s because I am so turned on by the fact that you’re touching me that I might come in my shorts.”

  Her eyes widen. “Yeah?”

  I kiss her again, pushing my tongue into her mouth; I press her onto her back and cover her. Her gorgeous tits are pressed against my chest and her hand is still on my dick. Now, because of our roll, her hand is holding my length.

  Pumping my hips, I growl against her mouth when her hand tightens around me.

  Not wanting to overwhelm her, I ask, “Is this too much?”

  “More,” she replies. “I want more.”

  Fuck me.

  My dick twitches and she begins to stroke me as I thrust into her hand. Reaching between us, my hand moves next to hers and I start to massage her clit.

  She whimpers against my mouth. God, she has no idea how fucking sexy she is. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to make her come again, but I’m sure as fuck gonna try.

  It’ll be a miracle if I get her off before I come, though. This week, each night getting to touch more of her as she opens herself up to me has had me so turned on. That and the fact that I got to make her come tonight means I’m a live wire ready to blow.

  Moving my lips from her mouth, I trail down the side of her neck. “You feel so fucking good.”

  She arches against me and I move my mouth lower, pulling one of her nipples between my teeth.

  “Oh, oh, oh,” she gasps.

  Fuck, I want her to come on my tongue.

  I move lower, kissing my way across her stomach. “Baby, I want to taste you so badly. You want that?”

  She lifts her hips, surprising me. “Please.”

  Fuck yeah.

  Pushing the covers back, I settle myself between her legs. Sliding both of my hands under her ass I scoop her up, lifting her to my mouth. Holding her there, I look at her pretty pink pussy.

  She’s shaved, all but a sexy little triangle of hair above her clit. Nuzzling my face against her skin, I kiss her inner thighs, grinning at the little goose bumps that scatter across her skin.

  Then I settle in and eat her. I’m too turned on to tease her, and she tastes so fucking good. Licking, sucking, nibbling, I do it all, back and forth from her pussy to her clit and back.

  She reaches her hands up to grip the sheets on either side of her head whil
e I make love to her with my mouth. Her chest heaves up and down with her gasps for air.

  She’s breaking apart in my arms and I can’t look away. Settling my mouth on her clit, I shift one of my hands out from under her so I can slide two fingers inside her.

  Her mouth drops open and she covers her face with her hands as she comes, her body tightening around my fingers for the second time tonight. Not moving away, I continue to pump them in and out of her as my tongue strokes her clit.

  Her legs start to shake and I slowly lower her ass back to the bed, leaving my fingers inside her. She shifts her hands, spreading her fingers to peek at me through them.

  Slowly, I pull my fingers from her. Keeping my eyes on her, I do what I wanted to do earlier and suck her juices from them.

  Her eyes widen behind her hands and I grin, crawling my way up her body. When I’m over her, I tug her hands away, one by one and wrap them around my neck.

  Nuzzling my face into her neck, I whisper in her ear, “Like that?”

  “Uh huh,” she breathes. Then she pauses and says, “Did you?”

  Leaning back until our eyes lock, I reply, “So much. I might become addicted to the way you taste and have to eat you every chance I get.”

  She shivers under me.

  “Fuck,” I groan. “You do shit like that and I want to eat you all over again.”

  She presses her lips together and I laugh at the lust in her eyes. Easing off her, I ignore my hard-on and grab her robe.

  Passing it to her, I say, “If we don’t get out of bed now we’re never going to meet up with Reilly.”

  Kacey presses her robe to her chest and lifts her head to look at her alarm clock. Then she sits up, hurriedly pushing her arms through the sleeves and wrapping it around herself.

  “I can’t believe it’s this late,” she exclaims, slipping off the bed.

  Snagging her once she’s close to me, I pull her against me and take her mouth. “Time flies when you’re having fun.”

  She doesn’t fight me or pull away. Nope, she sighs against me and parts her lips. Fuck, now I don’t even want to leave and I’m the one who reminded her.

  “You are trouble,” I say, pulling away.

  She gives me a look that says, “who me?” And heads for her closet. I just change into what I wore before we started playing, jeans and a Henley.