by Marie Harte
“Yes, sir.” Colin gave him a smart salute, then raced from the table, only to return and put his plate in the sink first. He darted away, waving at Del.
“Wow. You have him trained right.”
“Thank my mother. I heard ‘I’m not the maid’ from that woman so many times I felt like I had her voice playing in my brain twenty-four-seven. But she did get me to start picking up my shit.”
“Nice mouth.”
Mike’s grin slowly faded. “Come to think of it, my mom wasn’t the one who got me to be cleaner. Actually, I was kind of messy all the time, despite Mom’s Olympic nagging. It was when I met Lea, and I wanted to impress her.” He sounded sad but fond of the memory, and she kept quiet. “So I’d hide all my dirty crap when she came over. But I still was never very clean.” He chuckled at that.
His smile made the decision for her, and she was determined to take what she wanted. She moved closer, saw him tense, and leaned down to whisper in his ear, “You know, I hear that good pussy will whip a man into shape in no time.”
A dare she had to offer. Now to see if he was man enough to take her up on it.
He stood and backed her against the kitchen counter, and she had her answer.
In a low voice, he countered, “I wouldn’t know. Haven’t had good pussy in six long fucking days. After the boy’s in bed, you’re mine. Problem with that?”
I’m already yours, you moron. And I don’t know what to do about it. But all she said was, “No problem. But you have it backwards, McCauley. You’re mine.” She cupped him, feeling how long and hard he was under the denim.
He groaned and nipped her lips, surging against her. “Behave, Delilah. And think non-sexy thoughts while we tuck Colin in.”
Together.
After taking a moment to compose themselves, she let him grab her hand and tug her with him out of the kitchen and down the hallway.
He didn’t let go. She didn’t pull free.
Colin saw their clasped hands and smiled so widely she worried his face might break in half.
Now what the hell to do about the little master manipulator and his sinister plans?
Chapter 15
Mike let go of Del when he saw Colin reaching out for her. She didn’t resist as his son pulled her down into a big hug. The bliss on the boy’s face worried him, though, on top of comments about a new mom.
It didn’t take a rocket scientist to see that his son wanted Del in their lives—permanently. Mike supposed he should have seen this coming. Colin loved being around Del. He talked about her, emulated her, and spent way too much time with his devious uncles Brody and Flynn. If the boy wanted her, he was no doubt conniving to get her.
Knowing how much Abby and Maddie pestered him to date, and that both women were engaged to his brothers, another piece of the puzzle fell into place. Neither woman had been too surprised to know Del had been coming for dinner tonight. And his brothers had been pretty hands-off about his love life recently—the opposite of how they’d behaved not even a week ago. They had to be scheming with Colin.
They all thought him a big dumbass who couldn’t think past construction, apparently. He’d been raised around the tricksters. Did they honestly think he wouldn’t see right through them?
The problem was, the more time he spent with Del, the more he wanted to let their convoluted plans continue. Not good. He needed to sort out his conflicting feelings about the woman before long.
One thing he’d never been in denial about though—he wanted her with a fierceness that alarmed him. Simple sex would have been easy to have and forget. Except time with Del went from sexual to emotional to meaningful in a heartbeat, tying him up in knots. Yet he couldn’t stay away.
If she hadn’t agreed to tonight, he would have stolen his way into her house days ago. Taking Grace out Sunday night had been stupid because it had shown him how much he was missing by not being with Del.
“Okay already. I’m losing the ability to breathe,” Del teased and freed herself from Colin’s bear hug.
“A kiss?” his son asked.
Mike smiled, seeing his brothers in the sly gesture of supposed innocence.
Del snorted. “I’m not buying the act. It’s lucky for you you’re so cute.”
She kissed him on the cheek, and his face flushed.
Colin stared at her, his blue eyes wide. “I love you, Del.”
Mike saw her tense, knew his son had pushed a little too hard, and hurried to ease the emotional intensity in the room. “Quit hogging my kid.” He nudged her out of the way with a gentle bump of his hip.
She collected herself fast enough. “Yeah, yeah. Don’t get pushy, McCauley.”
Mike leaned down and kissed Colin on the forehead, the scent of minty toothpaste and chocolate leaving an indelible imprint on his heart. His little boy, who was getting so big. “Okay, alien. Get to bed.”
Colin smiled, and right then, Mike saw Lea so clearly in the genuine sharing of his heart. The loss still hurt, but the pain seemed easier to bear. His son had her best traits, and it made him proud and happy to see her there, always with him.
“I will, Father.”
Mike coughed to hide the emotion making his voice thick. “Father? What happened to Dad?”
“Luke, I am your father.” Colin made shooting noises. “I want a lightsaber for Christmas.”
“Random change of subject, but okay. When did you see Star Wars?”
“With Brian last week. Del likes Star Wars.”
“I do,” she said from behind him. “How he knows that I’m not sure.”
“Everyone loves it,” Colin explained. “Even Dad.”
“Yeah, great. We all like Star Wars. Now go to bed. I love you, dork.” Mike set the night-light on, then left the room, closing the door behind him.
He stood in the hallway, staring at Del, who watched him with a weird look on her face. “What?” Had he seemed as vulnerable as he felt? Women didn’t like weakness. For that matter, neither did he. His father might be a pain in the ass at times, but James had forged his oldest boy into a man, teaching Mike how to build more than houses, but to form strength from within.
Del didn’t look pleased anymore. “Mike, we need to talk.”
Shit. That didn’t sound good. He followed her down the hall toward his bedroom. Only an idiot would assume she wanted to screw him there. More than likely, she wanted privacy to tell him all this family stuff had freaked her out. She was done. Panic set in. Colin would be devastated. Though Mike had no intention of making anything serious between them, he still wanted to be with her. To see her, laugh with her, kiss her…
In his bedroom, she quietly shut the door behind them.
How best to fix this? “Look, I’m sorry if Colin—”
She shoved him back against the door, yanked his neck down, and planted a kiss on his mouth that left him reeling.
“You are so sexy when you’re being all good-dad-like.” She moaned softly and kissed him again. When she came up for air, her busy hands were all over him, under his shirt, around his back, then…
Christ.
…down his pants. She gripped him hard.
“No underwear? I love it.”
He tried to reach for her, but she shook her head and unbuttoned his jeans. “Uh-uh. This is my show. Sit back and enjoy the ride.”
Relieved she had no intention of leaving—just the opposite—Mike couldn’t speak, could only feel as she tweaked his nipples under his shirt and continued to fondle his dick with her other hand. The fire in her eyes lit his lust, and he forced himself not to take what she wanted to give, to simply accept it instead. He leaned his head back against the door as she lifted his shirt to suck his nipples.
“Del, baby,” he whispered, still conscious of his son’s room so close.
“You smell good.” She nuzzled his chest, her fingers stroking his taut nipples before sliding through his chest hair.
Man, he loved that. He arched his cock into her palm, needing to come s
o badly he could taste it. “Come on, Del. Let me fuck you.”
“Not make love?” she taunted and stroked him, sliding her thumb over his wet slit.
He moaned. “Make love, fuck, have sex. Whatever you want to call it. I can’t think. I want you so much.” He put his hand over hers, curled around his dick. “Need to come.”
“Been a whole week for you, hmm?” She left his chest and used her hands to push his pants down to his thighs. Then she lowered to her knees, slowly.
“Oh fuck. Yeah, a whole damn week. I want inside you. Now. But I want your pussy, Delilah.”
“Uh-uh. It’s my show, remember?”
As if he could forget. When she grew all tough and aggressive, she turned him on as much as she did lying beneath him. He couldn’t tell which part of her aroused him more, and at this moment, he didn’t care.
Her hot mouth wrapped around him, and he nearly came while she sucked, hollowing her cheeks. The hoop in her eyebrow winked in the dim light of his room, and the stud in her nose and the colors bright and glaring on her forearms tripped his switch from aroused to desperate.
“You’re so fucking sexy,” he admitted on a gasp. “So hot seeing those pretty hands, that mouth, wrapped around my cock.”
She moaned in agreement, and he feared coming way too fast. Right down her throat.
“No.” He pushed her back, then dragged her to her feet and switched positions, planting her back against the door. After stripping out of his jeans, he went to his knees. He pulled down her pants and underwear, taken with the thin strip of blond hair over her mound.
He kissed her, then prodded her feet farther apart.
“Mike. This was my—” She broke off on a sigh while he clamped his mouth over her clit. She was wet, and the notion that his arousal increased hers was a fantasy come true. He licked and sucked, then added a finger inside her, imagining all that silken heat over his dick.
Her moans grew louder, and he knew he’d pushed as hard as he could without losing his own mind.
“Stay,” he ordered, then hustled to grab a condom. He donned it in seconds and lifted Del into his arms. “Have I told you how much I love pounding into you against a wall? Or in this case, a door?”
She sunk her fingers into his hair and yanked him close for a kiss at the same time she wrapped her legs around his waist.
He didn’t wait and positioned himself at her entrance. He shoved hard and deep inside her, and the damn woman cried into his mouth and came, her body like a vise grip.
He swallowed her moans and mounted his own climb toward ecstasy, fucking her faster, unable to stop himself from following her into perfection. Each brush of their bodies had him rubbing against her breasts, feeling her strong legs holding on to him. He pumped and came, so hard he saw stars.
He would have shouted but she returned the favor by muffling his cry with her kiss. He eased back from her mouth, breathing hard, as he continued to spend. Staring down at her slack face, he watched her eyes open and saw her watching him while he came.
She stroked his shoulders and dragged her nails over his skin, making him shudder. “You have a sexy O-face.”
“Huh?” He thrust in and out a few more times, loving how incredible it felt to be inside her.
“Your orgasm face. Sexy. I like it.”
“Well hell, I like everything about you. Especially the way you taste.” He moaned and withdrew, still half hard and wanting to take her again. “I can’t believe how long it’s been since we were together. You have to stop avoiding me. I mean, I might die of blue balls. You have any idea how much come I just gave up, and all for your sexy body?”
“Mike.”
He chuckled at her pink cheeks. “Yeah, not romantic. I know. But damn, girl. You about blew my mind.”
He paused, and they both said at the same time, “Literally.”
The humor of the moment caught them, and after laughing so hard he nearly dropped her, he eased her down the door and kissed her. She felt both soft and firm, and her size gave her an edge that fascinated him. She wasn’t small, so tiny he feared crushing her. He loved knowing his roughness excited her.
She kissed him back, their embrace slow and sexy, not frantic as it had been moments ago.
“I want you again,” he admitted, not shy about doing so. “I want to fuck you long and slow, and have you begging for more.”
“Begging, hmm?” She kissed her way down his chin to his neck and sucked harder at his throat.
He jerked when she found a sweet spot, and her low laugh gave him the shivers. “I think you like control in all its forms, don’t you, Mr. Nice?”
“Mr. Nice?” he growled. “Really? Is that how you see me?”
“Nah. But it’s how everyone else sees you. This wounded widower with only his young son and brothers for companionship. So sad, those big blue eyes of yours.”
“Bullshit.” The snap of anger at her words was turning him on again.
“Oh yeah, it is.” She chuckled. “You’re a bad boy in the sack, aren’t you?”
“If you say so.” He liked her sensual lack of inhibition. She didn’t seem to mind being half-naked—God knew he loved it. Her perception of him, though, could use some work.
“I do say so.” She reached down and rolled the condom off him, then dropped it to the floor. Del being Del, she gripped him and started pumping. “Love to stay and fuck some more, but I have work in the morning.”
He shouldn’t have been ready to go again, not so soon, but she had him nearly there, almost fully erect, especially because he couldn’t take his gaze away from her hand over him. “I have to work too.”
“Yeah, but your job is easy. Mine is hard. I mean, I work with my father.”
“So do I,” he rasped, humping her palm, unable to stop himself.
“I work with a lot of men,” she whispered. “With a lot of tools. Getting all greasy, all dirty.” She dragged him closer, rubbing his cock against her naked belly. “You want to come inside me, don’t you?”
“So bad.” He stared at her, wondering how she could make him feel so much. “I want…”
“What, baby? What do you want?” She gripped him harder, painfully tight, and the sting jolted him into an unexpected crest of need.
“Shit. What are you doing to me?” He stared at her, knowing his desperation had to be plain to see.
“Mmm. Yeah. All over me.”
“In you,” he panted, then swore when she squeezed out an orgasm that shattered him.
He came all over her belly as she whispered naughty things in his ear. Finally easing her hand off, she brought a finger to her mouth.
“Do it,” he whispered. “Lick it.” He trembled, watching her take that pink tongue over her finger. Taking him into her mouth.
Sex shouldn’t be so consuming. Normally he had no problem coming and leaving, an agreement that satisfied his partners as well. With Del, he wanted to…cuddle.
“You can’t leave yet.” He left her to pick up his shirt and wiped them both clean, then tossed it back to the floor and stepped into his jeans.
“Oh?”
He pulled her underwear and pants back up, aware she let him care for her. Such a small thing, yet it made everything right. He tugged her hair, bound up in a staid ponytail that didn’t excite him half as much as her funky hairdos usually did. “Del, you do something to me.”
“Do I make you itch?” The smirk on her face had an unexpected effect.
Mike felt it, that scary, horrifyingly intense emotion that punched him in the gut. Enough that he felt shaky and unsure and glorious all at once.
Her laughter faded. “Mike?”
He couldn’t help it. He kissed her, with all the affection he felt for her wrapped into the embrace, and knew by her tension she felt the difference. Then he hugged her, bringing her close. He didn’t have the words to describe what he didn’t understand. He loved Lea. But he loved Del too. Two completely different women.
So what did he do about his
new secret truth?
He pulled back and watched her, curious about the tender look she gave him.
“A little sex makes you pliable. Have to remember that,” she said in a husky voice.
“Yeah. Good to know, eh?” He didn’t let her go, even when she tried to push him back.
“You’re in my space.”
A place I intend to be for a while. “So?”
“I have to leave,” she reminded him.
“Not until we get something straightened out.”
“Oh?” She tried to cross her arms over her chest and gave up when he refused to budge.
He moved back just enough to focus on her face. “Yeah. You still owe me a dinner.”
“What? Don’t go getting a big head just because you got laid. Remember, you were the one who ditched me, genius. Besides, you said the bet was over.”
So. Apparently still not over him going out with Grace. Good to know. “For the record, that trip with Grace was nothing more than me being neighborly and giving her a tour of the city. Period. I was up front with her about not wanting anything casual or permanent. No fuck-buddy or girlfriend.”
Del stiffened. “Yeah, I get that.”
“No, dumbass. I meant with her.”
She blinked at him. “Did you just call me a dumbass?”
“Hell yeah. How casual are we if we’re way past a one-night stand? That implies we fucked once. And it was far more than that.” He tried to remember how many times they’d had sex. To his glee, he realized they’d hit his new personal best that night at her place. Talk about never-ending enjoyment.
“Please don’t tell me you’re counting how many times we did it.”
He grinned. “You know me so well.”
She blushed, and he loved that she could be so tough yet sensitive. So incredibly sweet.
“Del, we have something good going. Why not hang out, have sex, have fun, and enjoy each other?” He said nothing about forever or marriage, because God knew he wasn’t ready for that again, if ever. Lea had been his one. But this newness, this incredible connection with Del—he wanted it. More than he felt comfortable acknowledging. That he’d even suggest partnering up showed she meant something special to him.