by Regale, Rhea
No, he didn’t want to fuck Amanda. He wanted to love her.
“Amanda, look at me, sweetheart,” Craig coaxed. When her clouded gaze landed on him, his breath caught in his throat. How the hell had he suppressed this ravenous desire inside him for so long? He traipsed his fingers lightly down her belly, watching the way her muscles twitched, and gave a teasing tug to the top of her panties. “Will you take these off for me?”
“Only if your jeans come off. I ain’t gonna be the only naked one here.” Amanda leaned into him and licked the outer shell of his earlobe. Sparks erupted, pouring down his chest to pool in his balls. “You know how long I’ve been dreamin’ of this moment? I’ve all but given up hope.”
Craig closed his eyes as she toyed with his ear, her breaths fanning against the moist shell, her teeth nibbling his lobe. He led his thumb along her panties, sinking lower and lower over the moist patch of fabric. He rubbed her clit with lazy circles then flicked back and forth. Each touch jolted her until her mouth fell away from his ear, and she folded over his shoulder, gasping.
He stopped playing her clit and leaned back on his hands. “Stand up Amanda, and take these off. I want to touch you without lace in my way.”
“You’re a tease,” she murmured, her voice so thick and sexy it sent a shiver through his shoulders. He tried to smile at that, but this inner want and need to make her his left him breathing hard and far from lighthearted. Oh no, his heart was a thunderous drum in his chest seeking to leave him bruised along his ribs.
Amanda took her sweet time climbing to her feet. He grabbed her ankle when she started to step to his side, keeping her standing astride his waist. Those lust-lit eyes of hers landed on him, cinching his lungs.
“You ain’t makin’ this easy,” she said on a low breath.
Craig shook his head, following her hands with his gaze as they lowered to her panties. “Not at all.”
Amanda hooked her thumbs on the lace and torturously slow, shimmied her way out of the last piece of clothing. She removed them from one leg then flicked them into the grass with her foot. Craig growled, his mouth watering at the sight of her glistening pussy so close to his face. The earthy scent of her musk filled his nostrils, making his cock twitch and his muscles tense. Holy hell, did she smell as good as she looked.
Craig shifted, laying his feet flat behind Amanda, his knees bent, his cock so fuckin’ hot he could barely think. He reached up to the slick, tender flesh between her legs, tracing the molten seam from her opening to her clit. A tremor skated down her legs as he slipped a second finger against the folds of her labia, gently spreading her nether lips for him to see. No nighttime darkness could hide this woman’s raw arousal from him.
“Your pussy is like silk,” Craig said, his voice gravelly from the sudden influx of knots in his throat. He licked his lips, slipping a third finger through the sopping valley of her cunt. “God, Amanda, let me taste you.”
“You can taste all you want.” She barely spoke above a whisper, her hands reaching down for his head. He leaned up as he sank one finger deep into her silken entrance, her tight muscles contracting around him. “Oh Craig, you’re gonna drive me mad.”
“Good. I don’t want to be mad all alone.”
He latched onto her swollen clit and suckled her pleasure nubbin, fucking her pussy with his fingers. The flavors of this woman slid over his tongue and down his throat, essences so earthy and delectable. He growled against her, drinking more and more until he felt her cunt clench down around his fingers, her hands fisted in his hair, and her legs trembled. He sighed, leaning back, his own muscles quivering as he fought to hold onto his control.
Amanda’s soft moans died, and she turned her flushed face to him. “No, no. That ain’t fair.”
Craig cupped the fine globes of her ass and squeezed, guiding her down to her knees as he lay back. “It’s perfectly fair ’cause you’ll explode in the end.”
“Hell, Craig, I’m burnin’ so bad it hurts.” Amanda’s brow wrinkled, and she rocked that soaking-wet pussy over his stomach. She could cover his entire body in that sweet-smelling cream, and he wouldn’t mind a bit. “So damn bad.”
He stilled her hips and made certain she saw just how starved he was for her. “So am I, sweetheart. So am I.”
She grabbed his wrists and threw his hands out to the sides before climbing off him and positioning herself between his knees with the grace and fluidity of a cat. The sinister, hellfire sexy look she pinned him with left him breathless. He watched, helplessly ensnared in her confidence and beauty, as she yanked open his belt and his jeans, and jerked them down his legs. He kicked one leg off, and she pulled the second leg off then settled herself between his legs. She fisted the base of his throbbing cock in her hand, sliding her thumb along the underside of his shaft.
“Aww hell, Amanda.” He straightened one leg and dropped his head to the sleeping bag. That wicked tongue of hers licked his length from base to crown before sucking him into her hot mouth. He exhaled sharply. It took all of his strength not to thrust his cock down her throat. She sucked him gently at first, each pump growing stronger and harder. She took him deeper, the head of his cock sliding over her tongue and hitting the back of her throat.
Then she moaned, and the vibrations made him buck. Liquid fire stirred in his balls, leaking through the cracks of his control. He thrust up again. Amanda’s fist tightened. She turned her eyes up to him as she began a torturous journey from the base of his cock to his tip.
She pressed her hands to his stomach, her eyes roaming over the planes of his body. He fought to catch his breath, the biting agony of the pain-pleasure brink leaving his thoughts so cloudy. She crept up his body, climbed over his legs, and straddled his waist.
Craig clenched his teeth when she sat against his cock and tormented him, sliding her wet pussy along his shaft.
“That’s dangerous, Amanda,” he rasped, grabbing hold of her hips to stop her. She tried to continue, even the slightest motion eliciting a stinging pleasure that threatened to make him cave in to her.
Amanda didn’t stop. Craig flipped over, tucking her beneath his body, his hips nestled perfectly between her legs, his body stretched out over hers, and one arm bracing him against the pad at Amanda’s head.
“We need to do somethin’, Craig. You’ve made a mess of my mind,” Amanda whispered. Craig nodded once, teasing her with her own actions, rocking his cock against her pussy. “I want you. Please.”
She shifted her hips. The tip of his cock nudged her opening. When he leveled his gaze on her, nothing could’ve prepared him for the impact the stark emotions washing over her expression had.
“Hell, sweetheart.” He nudged against her tight opening, her cream aiding his cock into her body. She bowed off the pads, crying out as he stretched the slick, tight muscles of her pussy. He filled her to the brim, and she squeezed his cock so nice and snug. He dropped his head forward and tried to reel in the frenzy this woman unleashed. “My god, you are tight.”
“No. You’re just big.” She lowered back to the pad and looked up at him. That stitch between her brows deepened, and a look of pure wonderment lit her eyes. “Craig.” She cupped his cheek, brushing his hair aside. “You’re inside me.”
“I am,” he murmured. He shouldn’t have been. He should pull out and give her release by mouth or by hand. He had no right invading her like this. He had left his condom at home in hopes of keeping his raging hunger in check, especially on their first formal date. That maneuver did little good against three years of pent-up emotions. “And I’m lovin’ the way you feel.”
He gently slid his cock from her body, but couldn’t resist the urge to dive back in. One more. That’s all. One turned into two, and he couldn’t stop. He couldn’t stop as he watched her writhe beneath him. He couldn’t stop as she met each thrust with her hips. He couldn’t stop as she broke apart, screaming out her bliss as her silken muscles threatened to milk every last ounce of cum from him.
Damn it!
Craig pulled from her body. The heat in his balls spread up through his gut and down into his cock. He pumped his length against her belly until he exploded, jet after jet of cum spurting over her flesh. His entire world exploded and shattered. He rode each mind-jolting wave of ecstasy, swallowing down the roar of pleasure that wanted release.
The fierce tremors that racked him began to dwindle. Amanda’s fingers were all tangled in his hair again, her thumbs tracing over his brow and jaw. He dared to look her in the eye, steeling himself for a dreadful look of regret.
Amanda stared at him, the smallest smile curling her swollen lips. Craig leaned down and kissed her, forcing his breath to return to normal.
Once his strength returned, he climbed to his feet, stealing another long look at Amanda spread out over the sleeping bags. “Don’t you move. I’ll be right back.”
Craig grabbed the napkins he kept in the console of the truck and went back to clean off his sweet Amanda. Tossing the soiled napkins aside, he pulled her into his arms. She tucked her body along his, lacing her fingers between his own, and yawned.
“You plan on holdin’ me until we leave?” Amanda asked. She placed an airy kiss against his wrist. He nuzzled his cheek against her hair and closed his eyes.
“I plan on holdin’ you for a long, long time.”
* * * *
The sting of sunlight pierced through her eyelids. She squeezed her eyes, turning her face into an arm, only it wasn’t her arm. No, this one was too hard and thick with muscle to be hers.
Mandy carefully peeled open her eyelids as the scent of fresh air, moisture, and the subtle hint of masculinity and spice filled her nostrils. She blinked several times, drinking in the scene of bronzed skin covering one hell of a set of pecs that led up to a strong jaw shadowed beneath a day-old beard that seemed to tangle in her messy curls. Beneath the blankets, her bare leg was tucked between his equally bare legs. His hard cock nudged her hip.
She licked her lips, the remnants of sucking his cock having left a thin layer of saltiness over her flesh. God, she was treated to a Casanova’s seduction, and it nearly broke her.
Girl, you’re in a fix.
Mandy rolled onto her back, Craig’s arm still tucked beneath her. She squinted, shading her eyes and gauging the position of the sun in the sky.
She shot upright, drawing Craig from sleep. “Fuck, Craig. I’ve got work!”
Scrambling to her feet, she plucked her panties and bra from the nearby grass, shaking them out as she hurried toward the truck to get her dress and shoes. When she threw Craig an urgent glance and prepared to hustle him along, she came up short at the sight of him standing naked, stretching his arms over his head. The sunlight drizzled over each incredible plane of his body, from the well-defined cords in his arms and his sides, over the slopes of his pecs, down the swells of his abs to his ridged cock standing straight up, ready for more action.
Craig’s eyes turned on her, a brighter blue than normal. His lips were swollen from hours of kissing and nipping, looking so damn tempting as they curled into a content grin.
“Good mornin’, sweetheart,” Craig said, his voice thick and hoarse with sleep. He picked up his jeans from their makeshift bed and climbed into them. Mandy slipped her dress over her head and slid her feet into her shoes. She used a hair band to pull her curls back as Craig looped an arm around her waist, caught her head with his other hand, and kissed her like the night never ended. She could taste her own juice lingering in his mouth, and she could feel the tension riding his muscles. She began to melt into his body, but pulled back, placing her palms on his shoulders.
“Craig, Martin’s gonna give me an ass chewin’,” Mandy said breathlessly. Aw hell. She leaned in and stole another kiss. “Mmm, definitely worth an ass chewin’.”
“Your ass is for me to chew, no one else,” Craig murmured. His hand curled over her ass cheek and gave her a sharp squeeze that made her shriek. He laughed and pulled open the truck door. “Hop in, Amanda. Before I’m tempted to throw you back to the mat and keep you here all day.”
As Mandy watched Craig grab his shirt from their bed, the extent of her situation came bearing down on her shoulders. One night with Brody. One night with Craig. Neither brother knew of her engagement with the other. She didn’t want to be the new Caroline. Oh god no. She cared about Brody and damn near loved Craig. Her heart was no longer hers to give because it was in the hands of feuding brothers who would just as quickly tear it to shreds in a brawl as they would cradle it with tenderness. They may see her being no better than Caroline, playing them for fools.
The only difference was Caroline wanted neither. Mandy wanted them both.
Chapter Ten
Brody finished his fifth cup of coffee and second round of toast when the bell jingled over the door, and his fiery woman rushed in, looking quite a lovely mess. He didn’t miss Heidi raising her brows and jutting her chin in his direction a moment before Mandy jerked around and landed those soul-swallowing dark eyes on him. His heart did the funniest flutter, one he’d never felt over a woman before. There was definitely something lighter about the air around her this morning, and he loved every dash of rose it added to her beautiful face.
Brody tipped the brim of his baseball cap and went back to work on writing the song that drew him from sleep in the middle of the night. The inspiration came so suddenly and so urgently, he rolled out of bed and started scribbling lyrics down on scrap pieces of paper. By four in the morning, he resigned to the fact that he wasn’t going back to sleep, made himself coffee, and sat outside on the porch swing until the sun rose. He soaked in the familiar change in the air from the moist, cool kiss of early dawn before the first rays of sunshine warmed that chill and pronounced the day’s arrival on a majestic stream of blazing orange and red.
And with the sun came a tune that he hummed for hours before he couldn’t stand waiting to see her another minute.
Heidi came over and refilled his coffee cup. “Your girl’ll be right out.”
Brody smiled shortly with a slight nod, tapping his foot beneath the table to the beat drumming away in his head. He wanted Mandy to hear the song as he strummed the chords on his guitar and sang the words from his heart.
Mandy burst through the kitchen doors, order pad in one hand, two plates of food balanced in the other. Brody kept his head down but watched her from beneath his cap. He noticed the slight tremble in her hands as she took a table’s order. She turned toward another couple of guests then spun around, seemingly frazzled by the morning rush. Heidi grabbed her arm and tugged her out of sight. Brody sat back and fixed his fresh cup of coffee, waiting for Mandy to reappear.
When she did, she walked straight over to him and sat down on the opposite side of the table. An off air fell around her that lashed through his serene morning and left him on edge. She knotted her fingers together, unknotted them, dropped her hands to the booth, and lifted them. She looked out the window and toward the kitchen, everywhere except at him.
Brody reached over the table and grabbed both her hands, bringing them to rest on the table. “Mandy, what’s wrong?”
She nodded toward the papers spread out around his plate. “What’re you doin’?” Tilting her head, she tried to read one of the pages. “New song?”
Brody offered her a smile as he tried to hide his work under his arms. “Somethin’ like that.”
Her eyes lifted to his. “What’s it about?”
“Life events.” He lifted off the booth and stretched across the table, placing a soft kiss to her lips. She relaxed for a short moment then tensed up again. “Did somethin’ happen to you?”
“It’s complicated.”
“Wait here for a minute.” Brody slid out of the booth and gathered his papers into a pile that he took with him into the kitchen. The song was a surprise, and in her current state, he didn’t want his words misinterpreted.
Martin glanced over his shoulder and waved his spatula. “Brody, you’re distractin’ my
girl.”
“I’m likin’ your girl. Should be pleased you’ve got an extra set of eyes to chase stray truckers outta this joint while you’re turnin’ burgers,” Brody said, injecting an added dose of humor to his voice. “Would you mind if I took her away for a few minutes? You’ve got two runnin’ the floor smoothly. Seems Mandy’s got somethin’ on her mind.”
“That somethin’ better not be hidin’ in your jeans, Ryder.”
Brody laughed, taking Martin’s response as a green light to steal Mandy away. He returned to find her still sitting in the booth, her forehead resting against her palms. He gently wrapped his fingers around her biceps and helped her to her feet.
“We’re leavin’, sweetheart.”
A crease formed between her brows, and she chewed her lips in that endearing manner of hers. He slipped an arm around her waist and led her from the loud diner into the quiet parking lot. She tossed worried glances over her shoulder with each step she took. He felt her battle to resist moving, but she continued with him.
Brody dropped his papers in the backseat of his rental and closed the door. “Let’s take a walk.”
“Why don’t we drive?” Mandy suggested. Her eyes were brimming with the telltale glimmer of an emotional battle, one he couldn’t begin to figure out. Was she having second thoughts about them? He suspected she might be worried he would return to his singing career and forget about her. Well, he would be certain to calm that fear and assure her any which way that just because he was touring didn’t mean he wouldn’t return to her.
She jerked one way then the other, scanning the road and surrounding buildings. She hitched a thumb toward the truck. “Can I get in?”
“Only if you tell me what’s got you on edge.”
She hurried to the other side of the rental and climbed into the passenger side. Brody slid behind the wheel and closed his door, turning his attention to Mandy.