And to Leah, that thought was actually the biggest turn-on of all.
* * *
Lance ran his hands over every one of Leah’s curves, a thing he’d been dying to do every moment they’d been together. She was like a real life pin-up model. A 1940s school boy’s wet dream—well, if he was a 1940s school boy, anyway. Because she was sure as hell his fantasy come to life.
It was fucking insane how bad he wanted her. Every time his fingertips brushed a new inch of skin, he could feel her tremble underneath his touch, and it made him as hard as a rock. Exploring her body was turning into an experience all its own.
She wasn’t like one of those women that you could take in at a glance and know exactly what they were like. Her curves held mystery, and he was one hundred percent committed to solving that mystery one small step at a time, peeling back her layers like the layers of an onion and seeing what new and beautiful surprise waited there.
He moved his fingers down in between Leah’s inner thighs before too long, though. Like a beacon calling to him, he couldn’t help himself. He needed to feel her, to trace his fingertips across the soft and womanly curves of her lips, to bury himself inside her welcoming warmth.
As soon as his touch brushed against her sensitive folds, she shuddered underneath him and gasped. Her nails dug into his shoulder blades as she arched her back, pressing her magnificent breasts against his chest. Her response served to make his cock ten times harder, and also his resolve to drive his fingers deeper into her.
His head spun as he slid his arm around Leah’s waist to give her all the support that she needed, and then he thrust his not one, but two fingers inside of her. He was glad even in his lightheaded-with-lust state he’d had the foresight to support her, because her body did exactly what he’d predicted that it would do: weaken and collapse against him. Her inner walls tightened at the intrusion, clutching his digits.
It was such a rush to know that the way he was touching her was so powerful that it sapped every bit of strength out of her muscles. His shaft rubbed against her stomach as she writhed beneath his attention. Every muscle, cell, fiber in his body was alive with arousal and his heart was bursting with love for the woman he held in his arms as his fingers massaged her intimately.
This was the first time in his life that his heart was as engaged in the experience as his cock was. He was definitely in new emotional territory with this girl. Rather than make him feel anxious, though, that realization only made him more excited to explore every inch of that territory, both physical and emotional.
He moved his fingers inside of her, loving the silky feel of her juices as his fingertips pressed against the velvet flesh of her inner walls. They gripped him as he moved, and it was an embrace that he never wanted to extricate himself from.
Fuck, she was just so sweet and soft inside—just like every curve of her body that he’d been admiring each time he looked at her. She was the epitome of femininity. The standard that every woman he ever met in the future would be measured against. And, hell, he already knew that all of those imaginary future women would come up way the fuck short in his estimation. It wouldn’t even be a damn contest.
He found her stiff pleasure button with his thumb and rubbed in slow circles as he continued to rhythmically move his fingers inside of her, then savored each and every long shiver that ran down the length of her body at the movement of his thumb.
This was paradise, giving her pleasure. If this was all he ever got to do with her, to worship her body and make her feel amazing things, he would be okay with that. Of course, he’d also be suffering from the world’s most severe case of blue balls…but, still. In a strange way that he couldn’t quite explain, he was getting more pleasure from giving pleasure than he could ever get by taking it.
Of course, he wanted to fuck her. Hell, that thought had never been far from his mind the entire time they’d been together. Every minute, every hour, every day. But first, he needed to feel her shake and quiver with an insane orgasm, her legs weak, her entire body collapsed against him, unable to hold herself up because the force of the ecstasy he was giving her would sweep her right off her feet.
He kissed her harder, then, driving his tongue into her mouth, claiming her as his. He was demanding, dominating, and forceful in his exploration and she reciprocated his enthusiasm. She broke their kiss and began sucking on the side of his neck, alternating biting him lightly and licking him. His balls tightened at the sting of her teeth and the swipe of her tongue. As much as he enjoyed her vampire technique, her kisses were like a drug and he was jonesing for his next hit.
He moved his hand to cup the back of her neck and tilted her head back, claiming her mouth once more. A deep moan vibrated from her chest as he moved his hand in the same rhythm that he moved his lips and his tongue. Her hips began to buck against his hand as her entire body began to shake.
She clung to his shoulders as he continued caressing her body and rubbing her pleasure nub. After a few moments she let out a soft cry and then buried her face in the crook of his neck. Her stomach quivered against him as she rode out her release before finally melting into him, her forehead pressed against his shoulder.
While her orgasm still rendered her as pliable as putty, he grasped her hips and spun her around so that she was facing away from him. She lifted her hands and when she did her palms slapped against the slick, wet tiles of the shower wall. He snaked his hand out of the shower stall just long enough to grab the condom that he had placed on the counter, and then slid it on over his erection.
He thanked his lucky stars that he had thought ahead, because frankly, the idea of stepping out of the shower at that critical moment would’ve been truly fucking heartbreaking—and he didn’t even know if he honestly would’ve had the strength to do it.
That was why—at least when it came to making love to goddess-like women—he lived by the Boy Scout motto: be prepared.
As soon as he was ready with the condom, he positioned himself at her entrance and thrust inside her warm and waiting inner walls.
Once he was buried inside her up to the hilt, he had to pause for a moment, just stand there and appreciate how fucking exquisite it felt to be inside her, surrounded by her. Then, when he had drunk his fill of that sensation, he drew back slowly and thrust into her again, hard.
“Yes!” She called out as her fingers tried to grip the slick surface.
He did that again and again, jack-hammering his way into her, only spurred on more by the whimpers and moans she let out, punctuated by the occasional cry of, “Yes, don’t stop!”
He leaned forward, moved her hair off her neck and nipped her shoulder. When he did, she slammed her ass into him, burying him further. “Yes. Bite me. Fuck me!”
“You feel so good,” he rasped against her ear.
“Please don’t stop!” she pleaded. “Fuck, don’t stop!”
He loved hearing the utter surrender and even desperation in her tone. It said that she couldn’t survive without what he was giving her, that it was necessary for her to live. It said that she not only wanted him—she needed him. And that had been his goal.
Taking her from behind was amazing—the control it offered couldn’t be replicated. The position gave him complete freedom to run his hands up and down her belly, her breasts, and slide them down between her legs while he thrust in and out of her—and he did every single one of those things.
He wanted to make their first time last forever, but he could only hold out until he felt her body start to come apart in yet another, and even more powerful, orgasm. That was the moment that he went over the edge. His knees locked as he thrust into her one last time. His hands squeezed her hips, digging into her skin and she bucked back against him. His entire body exploded with sensation as he rode out the most powerful and soul-stealing climax of his life.
Steam rose around them as they both panted, recovering from the high of release. Lance was still buried deep in Leah’s body as he wrapped his arms around he
r waist. She covered his hands with her own, gripping him and holding them in place. He rested his forehead in the crook of her neck as she snuggled against him. Time stood still as they remained intertwined, neither wanting the moment to end.
Their intimacy bubble popped when Thor jumped into the shower and joined them.
“Whoa!” Leah chuckled, turned the water off and Lance moved away from her and disposed of the protection.
He stepped out and grabbed them both towels. He watched, captivated, as she dried her body off. His dick was already twitching back to life as he watched the terry cloth running up and down her legs and over her stomach. When she noticed his reaction a wide smile spread on her face and she dropped her towel.
“I’m hungry. Let’s order some food and then you can have me for dessert.” She lifted on her toes and gave him a brief kiss before sauntering confidently out of the bathroom buck-naked.
He didn’t know what the future would hold for him and Leah. But for the first time in a long time, Lance wasn’t thinking about his past, or stressing about the future. He was living in the moment, and it was a damn good one.
Chapter 20
“Holy shit! Did we just drive into a Hallmark movie?”
“I think so.” Lance sat beside her in the driver’s seat and seemed just as impressed as Leah by what he was seeing.
Leah took in her surroundings as they entered Hope Falls. They’d been driving on a narrow, two-lane highway for the past few hours. One minute they were flanked by lush forest and the next they were entering a whimsical backlot-esque scene. She felt like they’d uncovered a secret, well-hidden jewel.
If you searched picturesque small mountain town, she was sure that this place would be the number one result. Wooden sidewalks lined the downtown area, filled with quaint shops and draped in string lights. And it didn’t stop there. The people were exactly who you’d cast in a small town rom-com. On one side of the street there was a young mother pushing twins in a double stroller. On the other side a couple was sharing an ice cream sundae on a bench. Beyond that, a man and his son were riding bikes over a bridge.
And that wasn’t all. The backdrop beyond the town looked like a Thomas Kincaid painting as the sun set over the majestic Sierra Nevada’s. The landscape was covered in pine trees with scattered dots of orange and yellow aspens. The stunning vista momentarily distracted Leah from the reason they were in the town.
All too soon, her short-lived reprieve ended. They pulled up to a small cottage surrounded by pine trees. Leah took a deep breath and exhaled slowly as she stared out the window and felt moisture pool in her eyes. She knew this time would come and she thought that she’d prepared herself for it, but apparently her tear ducts hadn’t read the memo that she would not be getting emotional over saying goodbye to Thor.
Lance must’ve noticed her reaction because he asked, “Are you sure you want to do this? We can turn around and go home.”
She knew that Lance wasn’t convinced that Rebecca was on the up and up. But Leah knew better. She’d always trusted her gut, and just like she’d known that Martin Watts was a creep but did have some connection to the dog, her intuition told her that Rebecca was telling the truth. When she’d messaged her to say that she was driving Thor to California, Rebecca had been overwhelmed with gratitude. She’d thanked her profusely and insisted that as soon as she got on her feet she would reimburse her for the trip.
There was no way that Leah would take a dime from her. That woman had been through enough. Besides her ex being abusive, her son had health issues. Rebecca had explained that the main reason she’d stayed with Martin as long as she had was because of the health insurance that he provided. If she left, she was scared her son would die…if she stayed, she was scared she would. She chose his life until she realized that if she were gone, no one would be able to care for him.
Leah couldn’t imagine living in that sort of Sophie’s Choice situation for years. The least she could do was bring their dog back to them.
“Yep. Let’s do this,” Leah chirped as she grabbed Thor’s leash off the floor, opened her door, and stepped out of the SUV. She and vulnerability were not friends and she was doing her best to keep it that way.
Leaves and sticks crackled beneath her shoes as she inhaled the fresh, crisp mountain air. It was invigorating and she closed her eyes as she filled her lungs with it. She exhaled slowly, doing her best to pull it together, but when she lifted her lids, her eyes were still stinging with unshed tears.
She figured that the only way to do this was to employ the Band-Aid method: just rip it off. Get Thor out of the car. Take him up to the door. Check in with her gut to make sure Rebecca was everything she said she was in her messages, and get the hell out of Dodge.
No dilly-dallying. No long, drawn out goodbye. A drop off and escape was the only way to do this.
She was about to execute step one of her plan and get Thor out of the back when the front door of the cottage opened. A gorgeous woman with long blonde hair stepped out with a boy that Leah recognized from the pictures as Owen. He looked smaller, more frail than he had in the pictures.
Leah could hear Thor whining in the car. She’d never heard him whine before, not even when he was recovering from the accident. She opened the door and before she could latch his leash on him he ran past her and ran straight into Owen’s arms.
Thor whined as he licked Owen’s face, his tail wagging rapidly. Owen giggled. And Leah cried.
Not because she was going to miss him, which of course she would. No, her tears were the result of the touching reunion she was witnessing. Cartoon hearts were practically floating around the boy and his dog. They were on the ground rolling around. Thor was covering every inch of Owen’s face with big, sloppy kisses and Owen was eating it up.
Lance stood beside her and he rested his hand on her lower back. The moment he did, warmth spread through her from head to toe. Warmth that she had to remind herself had an expiration date, just like her time with Thor had had.
They walked to the porch and Leah noticed that Rebecca also had tears in her eyes. When the two women’s eyes met, Rebecca lunged forward and threw her arms around Leah’s neck. “Thank you so much!”
“Of course!” Leah hugged her back, feeling gratitude radiating off of her.
Rebecca stepped back, a wide smile plastered on her face as she waved her hand. “Come inside! You guys must be exhausted.”
Lance and Leah glanced at one another. She could see that his eyes were also glistening. He might not be as much of a mess as she was, but he was definitely affected by this.
“For a minute. We’re actually going to get back on the road.” Leah had only taken four days off to make the trip. Jasmine had a vacation planned in the Bahamas with her boyfriend, and was hoping he’d propose. Why Jasmine hoped that, Leah didn’t understand. Jas could do so much better. But, hey, it wasn’t her life.
The upshot was that Leah didn’t like leaving Bea to run the store by herself.
She and Lance would be spending the night in Hope Falls, then getting up bright and early tomorrow to head back.
As they stepped inside, Leah noticed how barren the space was. A couch sat against the far wall; thread hanging off of the arm rests. A lamp stood beside it.
There were no coffee or end tables, no television. A card table and two lawn chairs were in the corner beside a tiny kitchen. There was a partially completed puzzle spread out on the card table. Leah pictured Rebecca keeping Owen occupied with it as he waited for them to arrive.
“Can I get you something to drink?”
Leah wasn’t thirsty, but she didn’t want to turn down Rebecca’s hospitality. “Water would be great. And do you mind if I use the restroom?”
“Sure, it’s down the hall on the left.”
Leah excused herself, needing a moment to collect her thoughts. As she walked down the narrow, darkened hall, she heard Owen laughing and playing with Thor. The sound made her smile, even though her heart was breaking.
It was a very strange emotional combination to experience.
When she stepped into the bathroom she had to move so her back was against the wall to close the door. The space was tight. Basically, a standing shower in one corner, a toilet beside it, a pedestal sink, and square wall mounted mirrored medicine cabinet were all squeezed into a closet.
She washed her hands, which were covered in Dorito dust, and stared in the mirror. She wasn’t looking her best. The two days she’d spent traveling and the lack of sleep the night before thanks to her and Lance’s sexy time three-peat was definitely showing.
Not that she was complaining. She would happily look like death warmed over every day if the cause was burning up the sheets with Lance at night.
That man’s talents were not limited to tattooing. Leah was a little relieved. It’s not that she’d doubted his prowess, but when she saw what he was packing, she’d prepared herself to be the one who would be doing the heavy lifting when it came to her pleasure.
Experience had taught her that men who were as well-endowed as Lance didn’t really feel the needed to take a woman over the finish line. They assumed because they were packing so much heat, just sticking it in would be enough. Nothing could be farther from the truth. As much as she loved a big, girthy slab of meat, having one slamming into you without any prep or finesse was about as enjoyable as a root canal.
It turned out she didn’t have to worry about that with Lance. He knew his way around a woman’s body. Or at least, he knew his way around her body. She was normally very verbal during sex. She didn’t expect the men that she was with to read her mind and had no problem directing the show.
But with Lance, she didn’t have to do any of that. He was able to get her lady parts to a standing ovation without so much as a line note from her. Somehow, he knew what she wanted before she did.
Just One Look - Leah and Lance (Crossroads Book 15) Page 18