Love in Bloom (De La Fuente Family #3)

by Lexi Buchanan

  But first he had to be sure about Erin, her needs and wants. She’d held on to him so tightly after his confession that he was sure she wanted the same but he needed to hear it from her own lips.

  “We’re going to talk to the high school principal, but,” he pulled over to the side of the road and turned to face her, “I need to know that you’re going to be back here with me after your graduation, otherwise, I’ll keep driving and we’ll just arrive at the airport a bit earlier than planned.”

  Mateo had no intention of letting Erin get away from him and he’d tried to tell her that during his confession last night, he just wasn’t sure she’d heard his underlining message; she was his, end of discussion.

  “I don’t want this thing between us to end, but the thought of giving up everything in Dallas scares me.” She paused, worrying at her lip as Mateo felt his heart lurch in fear at her words. Then she added, “I guess when I really think about it, losing you scares me more.”

  He had to touch her so he reached out for her hand. Their fingers intertwined together. “I’ll never leave you out in the cold, Erin. You’re mine to look after.” He kissed her knuckles.

  “That means I get to look after you, although you might have second thoughts if you let me in your kitchen.”

  He chuckled. “I’m sure we’ll survive…I need to hear you tell me what you want.”

  “I want you, Mateo.” She smiled shyly. “I always have and I want you to be happy so if the job at the high school is really what you have your heart set on doing, then I’m with you. I’ll support you and I’ll hopefully be there to kiss you goodbye on your first day.”

  He slid a hand behind the back of her head and brought her closer to his waiting mouth. “There’s no ‘hopefully’, there’s only ‘will be’ because anything else isn’t acceptable.” He sealed his words with a kiss. “Now let’s go and sort everything out.”

  “Yes, and just so you’re not wondering, I’d love to live here. It’s quiet, hardly ever any traffic, snow in winter and your family are close by. We even have the Bistro with amazing coffee and carrot cake, so I mean, what more could we ask for?” She smiled and his heart soared in his chest. She was so damn beautiful sitting beside him in her pale blue jeans and yellow blouse. Like a breath of fresh air.

  Silence settled over them until he reached Principal Crommer’s house.

  He moved around to open Erin’s door and pressed in close to her. “You’re really sure?”

  She looked at him, her smile slipped. “Mateo, I’m sure, but are you?” Her hands reached up and caressed his face, over the scruff that coated his cheeks and jaw, as worry filled her face.

  “I’m sure. It’s just,” he laughed and ran his hands through his hair as he moved slightly away, “I’ve never known anything else and accepting the job he offered me is the end to everything I’ve ever known… Stupid, huh?”

  Erin followed him out of the truck as he backed away and grabbed the front of his shirt. “Stop moving and look at me.”

  The sharpness in her tone certainly made him stop and meet her gaze. “You’re bossy.”

  She smiled. ”You’ve not seen anything yet.” Reaching up, she kissed him. “You’ve got this and you can do anything you put your mind to. Football has been your life and the kids you’re going to be coaching will work to impress you. You more than anyone will be able to bring out the true potential in them. You really do have this.”

  How the hell did he manage without her before?

  A step forward brought him up close and just when he was about to show her what her words meant to him, he spotted Edward walking toward them.

  “Tonight, baby.” He slipped his hand into Erin’s and stepped around her to greet the principal.

  “Mateo, this is an unexpected visit,” Edward said in greeting and looked at Erin.

  “This is my girlfriend, Erin.”

  The introductions over with, Mateo got right down to business. “If your job offer is still open, I’d like to accept and start at the beginning of the new school year.”

  “You do?” Edward stepped back and ran a hand down his face. “You do…are you sure? I mean I can’t afford the salary you’re used to making and I’m sure you will have had offers worth more.”

  Mateo grinned and wanted to reassure Edward that he was serious. “I’m sure. My girl graduates in May, and after that, we’ll be moving back here. So yes, I am sure, and I’m looking forward to it.”

  “In that case, I’m happy to welcome you to the school. I’ll get the paperwork drawn up on Monday morning and send them on to you.”

  “That would be fine. Just send it to the house and they’ll get them to me.” Mateo shook Edward’s hand and watched him retreat back inside his house.

  “That’s done.”

  Erin smiled and tugged him toward the truck. “It is. We need to celebrate.”

  He laughed. “We will once I get you into my apartment.” He wiggled his brows. “I might keep you naked…my very own sex slave.”

  “Mmm, I like the idea of being naked with you…after last night I can still feel you between my legs.” Erin backed him to the truck and shoved him toward the driver’s side as she climbed into the passenger one.

  All he could think about now was how it had felt to sink between her legs. The fist that gripped him, her wetness that had felt so fucking good that he stayed hard long after he’d come.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” she commented with a smirk on her face, her eyes focused in his crotch. “You’re thinking about my pussy and how good it felt when I came all over your cock.”

  “Erin,” he growled. “You’re not helping.”

  Chuckling she leaned over, kissed him hard and fastened her seatbelt. “Let’s get to Dallas so I can kiss it better.”

  “Fuck!”

  Chapter Thirty

  “Mateo, we need to leave. You’re going to be late.” She gasped when he pulled her down to his lap, her legs spread on either side of him.

  They’d been in his apartment in Dallas for two hours and she’d lost count how many orgasms he’d given her.

  She’d showered and changed into a sundress, but feeling the zipper going down the back, she knew that the shower had probably been a bad idea.

  “You smell good enough to eat.” Mateo put her back to her feet and tugged the dress from her body.

  She stepped out of it and watched as he licked his lips, the bulge at his crotch growing the more he looked.

  “Like what you see?” she teased, running her fingers around the hard buds of her nipples, which she knew he could see because of the shear lace.

  “Take it off,” he growled.

  She did as she was told.

  “And the panties.”

  Mateo yanked his shirt over his head and lay on the bed. “Straddle my face, baby.” He winked. “We’re going to be late.”

  Her stomach curled with nervous excitement at his suggestion. She’d never been in that position before and wasn’t sure how she felt about it.

  All she did know was that the delicious man on the bed was hungry for her as he held his hand out toward her.

  She took it and climbed over him, her pussy rubbed against his chest. “I don’t know what to do,” she admitted, biting her bottom lip.

  “Baby, I’m going to make you feel good so just follow my lead…knees at either side of my head.” He grabbed her hips and helped her move forward. When her pussy was directly over his mouth, he tickled her with his tongue.

  She wiggled, which turned into a moan as he ran his tongue between her soaking folds. Just having his eyes on her was enough to make her wet and leave her aching.

  “Play with your nipples. Make them hard and red. I want to imagine it’s my mouth on them.”

  She groaned and following his request, she cupped both breasts in her hands and ran her thumb over each nipple. Her pussy throbbed as her hips rocked against the wet suction of his mouth.

  His large hands grabbed her botto
m and spread her open as he pierced her with his tongue. He held her down, sucking her clit as he maneuvered slightly so that he could fuck her with a thick digit.

  Her body tingled and throbbed, her belly clenched and after one powerful suck, Mateo sent her into oblivion. Her body convulsed above him while he licked up her release.

  No longer able to hold herself up, her legs shook with the strain so Mateo gripped her around the waist and moved her to the bed, rolling on top of her.

  He buried his face between her breasts and inhaled before he met her gaze. His large hands cupped her breasts and pushed them together seconds before his head dipped and licked each nipple in turn. “I want to come all over these babies.”

  “God,” she arched into him and felt the large bulge behind his zipper, “yes…now.”

  “I’m too excited to last now.”

  Erin didn’t give him chance to use his flimsy excuse. She shoved him over, unfastened his jeans and brought his hugely swollen shaft out to play.

  No matter how many times they’d had sex over the past couple of days, he was always rock hard and excited for her.

  The head was wet, red, and so ready that she couldn’t resist licking him.

  His hands shook in her hair as she swiped her tongue over and around him, once and twice, before he lunged at her.

  Tossing the jeans, Mateo shoved her to her back and climbed on her. His balls felt heavy against her body as he moved into position and pushed her breasts together to swallow up his cock. The tip pushed near her mouth.

  She licked her lips and met his gaze.

  “This is going to be really messy,” he growled, doing a shallow pump.

  “I want messy. Come all over me. Make me yours.”

  Growling again, Mateo clenched his jaw together and rocked up between her breasts.

  Erin grabbed a pillow and shoved it behind her head to keep her at the right angle to open her mouth and play her tongue along the tip of his cock.

  “Fuck me, you’re so fucking sexy.”

  “It’s hot watching you fuck me like this. Watching you come apart because of me…try and move up a bit. I want to suck you.”

  “Fucking hell!”

  He moved and yes, she could take the bare tip into her mouth as he rocked.

  “I’m going to come…too much…overload.”

  She’d give him overload and slipped a hand under her breasts to the root of his shaft, which she pressed with her fingers.

  He groaned, pulled from her mouth, wrapped his hand around his dick and spilled his seed over her breasts. He caught his breath as Erin knocked his hand away and stroked him through more release—more spilled from the tip while he rubbed his sperm over her hard nipples, spreading out over her breasts.

  “I wish I could capture how you look with a camera—beautiful.”

  He pulled out of her hand, collapsing on the bed beside her. “I know you’re a mess, but I need you in my arms.”

  She rolled over and sprawled out on top of him. “You are so late.”

  “So are you, babe.” He slapped her on the bottom. “If it was anyone else, I’d tell them we need to reschedule, but I need to talk to Evans today to get it out of the way.”

  “I know you do. I just wish you’d let me come with you.” She snuggled in his arms and felt his release sticking them together.

  “You need to talk to Sadie about us, remember? I also remember you telling me that I wasn’t allowed to be around for the conversation, and I remember promising I’d give you your space providing you tell her I’m at least a twelve.”

  She giggled, pushing up and straddling him. “Twelve, huh? I should have found a tape measure before you’d climbed between my boobs.”

  Mateo groaned, taking hold of her hips, he shoved her over his crotch. “Just rock right there, baby, and you’ll be able to measure me in seconds.”

  Rolling her eyes, she ground down and saw stars. Seeing Mateo so aroused and having him coming all over her had really turned her on.

  “God, your wet.”

  “Hmm.” She quickly climbed from him. “I’m not measuring you because I have no intention of telling anyone about your junk. That’s mine and mine alone.” She smirked. “We better shower or we won’t get anywhere today,” she panted and placed a hand between her breasts. “You leave me breathless.”

  “You leave me hard.” Mateo glanced at his rising cock and chased her into the bathroom.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Mateo still had the smile on his face that Erin had put there during their afternoon playtime. She’d surprised the fuck out of him. In fact, she’d been doing that since before arriving in Montana. But since their relationship had started to bloom, there hadn’t been any shyness with her. She made his head spin.

  And someone else whose head would be spinning really soon had just walked out of his office and spotted Mateo walking in.

  “What do I owe this pleasure?” Evans held his hand out to him, which Mateo ignored.

  “I’m not here for pleasantries.”

  Evans took his hand back and ushered Mateo into his office. “I have a feeling this needs to take place in my office.”

  Mateo stayed silent and followed him into his plush office. He’d only been here the time he’d had the contract laid out to him and from then he remembered the room being too bright and hurting his head. Of course, the hangover he’d suffered with at the time could have had something to do with that.

  “So what brings you out here, now that the contract is void?”

  Evans knew there was something going on with him, but Mateo didn’t think he’d figured out just what.

  “Erin.” Mateo raised a brow and waited.

  Evans sat back in his chair, looking relaxed, but the nervous twitch of his right eye gave him away.

  “So she told you her name. What else did she tell you?”

  “Enough to make me want answers.”

  “There’s nothing else to tell. She applied for a job at the stadium and they sent her résumé to Donny. He’d asked them to keep a look out for a beauty. They found Erin. End of story.”

  Mateo leaned against the window and waited, hoping Evans would carry on. He didn’t and instead, watched him closely.

  “As you prefer to avoid the truth, I’ll ask. Why was she given a whole script on how to act around me and my family?”

  “You’ll have to ask her about that. I don’t know anything about it.”

  “You’re lying.”

  “So you trust her now?” Evans stood and moved to perch on the front of his desk.

  “Yes, I trust her…you, not so much. So, you either tell me why? Or I go to the boss at the club and tell him some underhanded stuff is going on over here. You’re the contracted PR team, do you seriously think he’d pass anything over to you if I plant the seed of doubt in his head.”

  “I don’t take threats lightly.” Evans stood and moved toward Mateo. His face only inches from Mateo’s.

  “Neither do I,” Mateo pushed back. “I also don’t like the fact that you set me up with a sweet girl because of some reason of your own.”

  “Whatever, it’s over with now.” Evans walked around his desk and opening his top drawer, withdrew a framed photograph. Passing it to Mateo, he said, “My wife…soon to be ex.”

  Mateo took the picture and although she looked familiar, he had no idea who she was.

  “I’m sorry, but I don’t know what that has to do with me or Erin.” He passed the frame back.

  “I figured as much.” Evans dropped into his chair again and seemed less composed as before.

  “She was one of the women you messed around with before the club sent you to me.”

  Well fuck!

  Mateo dropped into the chair opposite the desk. “Are you being honest with me? Or is this something to put me off base again?”

  “You’d think I’d make that shit up?”

  Probably not.

  He sighed and shoved his hands through his hair.
“As far as I’m aware, or rather, was aware, I’d never been with a married woman. They’re a total no-no.”

  “At the time she told me it was only with you that she’d betrayed our marriage with, turns out you were one of many but I didn’t know that when I hired Erin. All I knew was that you had made part of my life hell and I wanted someone to do that to you. That was why I asked Erin to be a bitch. I told her she’d only get paid if she played along and kept her mouth shut. I knew she needed the money, so I played on that.”

  Mateo debated about what to say because he’d never been in a situation like this before. In the end, he went for an apology. “I’m sorry. You obviously don’t think a great deal of me after that. The truth is that I would have never touched her if I’d known that she was married. I might have screwed around back then, but I went out of my way to figure out the single from married, even when I was a drunken ass.”

  Evans nodded. “I believe you.”

  “We’re done here. I’ll be explaining to Erin, which should be fun.” He frowned. “But it won’t go any further unless you choose otherwise.”

  Mateo waited but Evans stayed silent, his gaze averted so Mateo left as quickly as he’d arrived.

  He’d be with Erin sooner and she’d want to know what had happened. He’d promised her the truth so that was what she’d get. She knew why she’d been hired so hopefully she’d accept it.

  At least he’d left all that behind him because of the ‘fiancée’ thing and now he had his sweet girl to look forward to.

  She was under his skin and he had no intention of sharing her with anyone, although he’d make the exception of Sadie, her best friend.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  “Sadie,” Erin tugged her into the apartment as soon as she knocked on the door, “I’ve been trying to get hold of you.”

  “I told you that I was at work. I’ve come straight from there.” Sadie tossed a dress bag over the back of the sofa. “I have my things and the guys are going to pick us up from here.”