“Probably a good thing, considering you’re just as loud as one.”
“That’s a rude thing to say.”
“Truth, though.”
She couldn’t deny it, so she didn’t respond. Somewhere along the way in the dozens of times they’d slept together, she’d gotten comfortable in her skin. And she’d always felt that comfort around him. From the beginning, she’d been herself, completely. He’d welcomed all the broken, bruised, cracked, messed-up pieces of her. And he loved her in spite of them. Loved her because of them.
He slid his hands under her shirt and lifted it off her body, tossing it to the side. With his lips against the swell of her breast, he asked, “Remember the first time I fucked those moans out of you?”
“Nash…” His name came out in a sigh as she tipped her head back, offering herself to him completely.
He undid the fly of her jeans and pushed them down her legs, kneeling in front of her, his face level with her panties. “Now you’re groanin’ with every thrust of my cock inside you.”
She rested her hands on his shoulders and raised an eyebrow. “Maybe this time I should keep my lips sealed, just to prove a point.”
He smiled and brought his finger to the center of her body, brushing it ever so lightly down her crease. She bit her lip to stifle the moan that wanted desperately to break free.
“That sounds like a challenge to me, princess.” He looked up at her, his head tipped to the side. “I think you remember what happened the last time you issued me a challenge.”
Yep, her entire life spun off its axis. She’d wanted to learn more about herself, to figure out who she was and what she wanted. She’d done all that and more. She’d figured out how to be unapologetically her, figured out how to go after what she wanted in spite of what anyone else thought.
And somewhere along the way, she’d fallen in love with an amazing man she never saw coming.
“I don’t care what you do as long as you do it inside me.”
“Rory,” he said with feigned shock. “You kiss your momma with that mouth?”
“Stop teasin’,” she nearly whined, her fingers pulling at his T-shirt in an effort to get it off. “It’s been too long.”
Thirty-one days, but who was counting? Oh, right, she was. Sex before Nash had been a chore, something she’d put on her calendar and participated in because she’d felt like she had to. Now, though…being with him was something she craved.
“Too long since what?” he asked, sliding her panties down. “Since I’ve licked your pussy?” He lifted her leg over his shoulder, palming her ass and tugging her closer until he could swipe his tongue through her center.
“Yes,” she moaned, tipping her head back as she closed her eyes. She threaded her fingers through his hair, whether in an effort to hold him to her or just to hold herself up, she didn’t know.
He pulled back, blowing a gentle breath against where she ached for him. “Too long since I’ve had my fingers in you?” He brushed his thumb over her clit, then slid two fingers inside her and pumped in a slow, maddening rhythm.
“Nash,” she panted, her orgasm already breathing down her neck. “Nash…” It seemed to be the only word she could produce. The only thought her mind could conjure up. Nash, Nash, Nash.
She needed him. Needed to be with him, skin touching skin, as close as they could get. Needed the safety and comfort of his arms encircling her, his sweet, dirty words in her ear as they came apart.
No sooner had she thought it than he was standing, scooping her up in his arms and spreading her out on the bed before him. With eyes locked on hers, he rid himself of his clothes in quick, efficient movements and saw to their protection. When his cock was sheathed, he swiped it through her, rubbing the head in slow, maddening circles around her clit.
“Your pussy’s dripping for me, princess.”
Her body still flushed when he spoke like that, but she didn’t hide. Didn’t cover her face in hope that she could disappear into the blankets. Instead, she locked her eyes with him, the subtle dip of her chin enough of an answer to make him groan.
“I’ve missed you. Missed these tits.” He sucked one of her nipples hard and deep, releasing it with a pop. “And this ass.” Digging his fingers in, he lifted her straight off the bed and closer to his straining erection. “But most of all, I’ve missed sinking inside this pussy. Missed how she milks my cock when I’m so good to her.” With every word, he sank into her, rocking in slow, shallow thrusts until she opened enough to let him plunge deep, his hips finally resting against hers.
Sharp, jagged breaths were ripped from her lungs, and she clung to him, her hands in his hair and his groan reverberating against her neck. He already had her so keyed up, she was looking over the edge into oblivion, just waiting to fall.
“You gonna give me that, Rory? Gonna come all over me and remind my cock exactly where it belongs?”
A startled gasp escaped her, her body thrumming at his words, his thrusts, his…everything. When he ground down hard on her clit, she tightened her thighs around his hips and shattered. “Nash. I love you, love you, love you.”
He groaned, holding her head between his hands, his thumbs caressing her cheeks. Their eyes were locked, lips parted and pressed against each other, as if he were trying to inhale her words. Pull them right into his body so they’d never leave. With a final thrust, he sank deep, his release pulsing inside her and her name on his lips.
She held him for long moments, his body heavy on hers, as she trailed her fingers up and down his back.
“Just wanna stay inside you all night long,” he mumbled into her neck. “Sleep with your pussy wrapped all tight and hot around me and then fuck you again when you start rockin’ those hips on me like you are.”
She bit her lip and stilled her movements, unaware she’d even been making them. How could she still be hungry for him while he was inside her, their bodies still quivering from their climaxes? “You could do that, you know.”
“Not with condoms, I can’t.”
She lifted a shoulder and tunneled a hand through his hair. “We don’t need ’em. I have an IUD.” They’d discussed their health records a while back—she’d had to get a full check after finding out about Sean’s evening activities—but they hadn’t broached the no-condom subject.
Slowly, he lifted his head until he peered down at her, his eyes narrowed. “You mean to tell me I could’ve been bare inside you and you’re just lettin’ me know?”
She smiled. “Had to make you work for it.”
“Ah, princess. You know how good I work for it.” He pulled out so fast, the void left her gasping. Before she could ask where he was going, he was back, sliding his bare cock through her wetness and sinking inside her again. They both groaned when he hooked her knees over his elbows and bottomed out. “And I plan on showing you several more times tonight. And again tomorrow. And for the foreseeable—and not so foreseeable—future.”
She dug her fingernails into his biceps, desperate for every bit of the future he promised. Wanted it with every ounce of her being. Wanted to go all in, for once not worrying about what others thought, about all the shoulds or what was “right.”
It was day one of her new, improved, not-so-perfect life, and she was ready.
“Y’all wanna test this out and see if Ella tightened everything up enough?” Nash asked, latching his toolbox closed. Obviously, he’d double-checked everything before letting those hooligans loose on it, but he didn’t mind giving Ella a boost of confidence over her work.
She’d helped him assemble the canopy bed he’d built for Ava to resemble the one she’d circled in Rory’s magazine. The one she’d been begging her momma for for months. He couldn’t deny the thrill he got seeing the joy on her face over something he’d built.
Ava squealed and leaped toward the bed as Ella launched herself on it with a war cry. And then they were both bouncing on the mattress, giggling and hooting loud enough to burst his eardrums. Never in his
life had he thought he’d relish the company of preteens. Never thought he’d get so much satisfaction from making them smile or teaching them how to do something.
But he couldn’t deny both were true.
In the months since Nash and Rory had become official, he’d found himself heading straight to her house after a long day’s work instead of to The Willow Tree. Where once he’d found solace in a cold beer and solitude, he now found it in a little house in the middle of nowhere surrounded by three of his favorite girls.
“This is the best, Nash! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Ava yelled, her face beaming and hair flying out behind her as she jumped on her brand-new bed.
“You’re welcome.” He pointed to Ella and winked. “Tree house this spring. Promise.”
“Yes,” Ella hissed, fist-pumping as she bounced on her knees before jumping back to her feet again.
“Don’t break your necks,” he said, hefting his toolbox and strolling out of Ava’s bedroom. “Your momma’d kill me.”
After tucking his toolbox back into its permanent home in the front hall closet—and taking care of a spider trapped under a glass in the kitchen—he poked around for Rory until he found her outside, sitting on the porch swing.
“Isn’t it a little cold out here?” he asked as he stepped out into the crisp evening air.
She lifted a mug toward him without taking her eyes off a magazine in her lap. “I’m all set.”
“There’s booze in there, isn’t there?”
“Of course. Want some?”
He settled in beside her, draping the blanket over his legs as he tucked her into his side. Pressing a kiss to her temple, he said, “Tryin’ to get me drunk so you can take advantage of me?”
“When have I ever needed alcohol to take advantage of you?”
He accepted the proffered mug and took a sip. “You got me there.” Handing the drink back to Rory, he tipped his chin toward the magazine in her lap. “What’re you lookin’ at?”
“Nothing yet. Wanted to wait for you.”
Cocking his head to the side, he reached down to move her hand away so he could read the title of the magazine. “Is that…”
She looked up at him, her eyes bright, lips pressed together, body practically vibrating with excitement. “Yep.”
Edna delivered the mail at one o’clock on the dot every day—and he knew that because she’d interrupted more than one lunchtime Netflix-and-chill session. It was nearly eight now, which meant that magazine had been sitting here for hours. And that meant one thing…
“You read it already, didn’t you?”
She sagged against him, her bottom lip going out in a pout. “You’ve been in there workin’ on that damn bed for two hours. What was I supposed to do? Just leave it there, lettin’ it stare at me from the counter? I was too excited to wait.” She tucked her hand under his shirt and pressed it against his abs. “I’m sorry. Forgive me?”
He pulled her hand out from under his shirt and placed her palm against the hardening length of his cock. “More of this, and we’ll see.”
She breathed out a laugh, giving him a gentle squeeze. “Does this mean you’re stayin’ over again tonight?”
“Planned on it. The girls are bouncin’ like crazy on that bed. They’re gonna be conked out within the hour.”
“In that case, I’ll wait a while before I go in and tell ’em they know better than to be jumpin’ on the bed.”
“I love your mom logic.” He plucked her hand off his now hard-as-granite cock and lifted it to his mouth, pressing a kiss against her palm. “Now, show me, you greedy little thing.”
She sucked in a deep breath, eyes wide, and then snapped the magazine open with a flourish.
Most of the left page was a photo of him and Rory in The Willow Tree—the magazine had sent out a photographer to capture several images post-interview when they’d decided they wanted a more personal approach than simply the images of the properties Nat had taken when she’d been home. On the right page showed various projects they’d worked on in their before-and-after states. The title read: chip off the old block. And below it in big, bold letters: meet nash and rory, the newest fixer uppers.
You don’t need to live in Texas to reap the benefits of savvy design paired with solid construction from a couple whose work—and relationship—sizzles. Havenbrook, Mississippi, a small town less than a hundred miles from the Tennessee border, is hiding their own gem of a design duo in King Haven Construction and Design…
He ran his fingers over the letters of their newly renamed and restructured business, a smile tugging at his lips. When word spread about their magazine feature, their phones had been ringing off the hook for bookings in Havenbrook and beyond. So much so they couldn’t keep up with the demand. It’d been one of his and Rory’s first major fights—figuring out how to balance everything on their plates without losing their goddamn minds.
Finding a compromise for all parties involved had been difficult and had taken a lot of finesse. While Nash’s dad had passed on King Construction just like he’d promised, Nash had wanted to go a step further and buy him out to be a majority owner. That way, they all got what they wanted. Nash’s pops still had a stake in the company, just as his granddad had until he’d died, but it was now Nash’s to do with as he pleased. And his old man had a sizable chunk of money so he didn’t feel trapped by their town. He’d taken one short trip to Florida, but that’d been it. Their relationship was still tumultuous, but it was healing, and that was more than Nash had dared to hope for.
Getting Rory on board had been more difficult. For good reason, she’d been apprehensive about it, determined to make her own way and not have anything handed to her. They’d fought time and again as he’d tried to get her to see she was the draw to this business. Yes, he delivered a quality project and came in on time and on budget, but her ideas were the pull.
When he’d shown her the number of people on the waiting list requesting her design expertise, she’d finally realized she had something valuable to offer and had agreed to a partnership. And thus, King Haven Construction and Design had been born.
“So…we’re kind of a big deal now, huh?” he asked. “Think we’ll get our own TV show too?”
“I wouldn’t be surprised.” She pressed her elbow into his side. “All you’d have to do is walk around without your shirt on a couple times, and the ratings would go through the roof.”
He tugged her closer to him and chuckled into her hair. “What if I only wanna take my shirt off for you?”
She reached up and patted his chest. “Aww, that’s sweet, sugar, but if it gets us more bookings, I’m all for objectifyin’ you.”
“I’m not sure we need any more bookings. We’re scheduled out until June without a break.”
She turned to him, her eyes bright with excitement. He was so damn lucky he got to see that look on her face every day. “We’ve got The Sweet Spot reno comin’ up next, right?”
“Yep. Talked to Marianne and Lilah about it today. Hudson’s gonna be callin’ next week to run some numbers.”
Rory narrowed her eyes, her lips pursed. When he’d told her the money for this was coming mostly from Hudson, she’d ranted for ten minutes about how he’d broken Mac’s heart and now she hated him strictly on principle. “You know how I feel about him.”
“I know, princess. But like him or not, he’s gonna be payin’ the bills next month.”
“I’d like to see him show his face at the relaunch, and we’ll see what he has to say then…”
“Easy, tiger. Don’t scare off the payin’ customers.” Reaching up, he pulled the ponytail holder from Rory’s hair, letting it tumble down her back. He tunneled his fingers through the thick mass, massaging her scalp. “Why’s your hair still up? You’re gonna get a headache.”
The only answer she gave him was a moan—the exact timbre of which she gave when he sank inside her—and his calm cock was once again ready for action.
“You like thi
s?”
She dug her nails into his thigh. “Feels so good.”
“Keep moanin’ like that, babe, and you’re gonna be sittin’ on my cock pretty soon.”
“Keep playin’ with my hair like that, and I might climb right up.”
He froze, his hand stilling in her hair, before he hopped up from the swing and snatched open the front door. “Girls!” he yelled. “Time for bed!”
She shook her head at him, lifting her mug to her lips and taking a sip. “You’re in an awfully big hurry.”
“And you’re not in one at all. Maybe if I drop to my knees out here, it’ll light a fire under your ass. Think you can hide me under that blanket?”
Her eyes widened as she glanced around. Not a soul was out here. It wouldn’t be all that scandalous for him to fuck her on the porch—even less so to eat her pussy until she came all over his tongue. But he wanted her slow and sweet tonight. Wanted to stretch her out beneath him and kiss every inch of her beautiful body. Wanted to come inside her with the taste of her pleasure on his tongue.
He held out a hand to her, tugging her up to stand when she placed her palm in his. Leaning down, he pressed his mouth to hers, teasing his tongue along her bottom lip. “C’mon, princess. I wanna Netflix and chill with you.”
Thank you for reading Rory and Nash’s story! Dying to know the history behind Mac and Hudson’s heartbreak?
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Mackenna Haven is desperate to leave Havenbrook, Mississippi behind. After spending her whole life under the thumb of her overbearing father, she's ready for the freedom college will bring. Especially if that freedom means spending more time with her best friend…and unrequited love.
Hudson Miller's been the man of the house since his dad died nearly ten years ago. The only escape he has from those responsibilities is the stolen moments when he’s with Kenna. As much as he wants to tell her he’s been in love with her for years, the red X looming on his calendar could change everything between them.
Hometown Troublemaker Page 27