She had quite a collection.
“Nice.” He whistled.
Wearing nothing but his close-fitting boxer briefs, he took a step toward her but then stopped as if he wanted to get the full view.
“Like it?” This matching bra and panty set was hot pink with a velvet red heart right over her happy place.
“I like it so much it’s coming off in two seconds.” He closed the distance between them and true to his word had her bra unhooked in seconds.
Her breasts fell into his hands like they’d been waiting for him. He kissed each one tenderly, then backed her up to the bed. She fell in a heap of heat, lust and hormones. This was happening. Her wildest fantasy come to life.
But first. “I need to tell you something.”
“I’m listening.” But he’d also sunk his teeth on her earlobe while tweaking her nipple. Man of many talents. Multi-tasking like a boss.
“Um, I—”
Why was she so nervous about telling him this? This was her Dylan. She could tell him almost anything, even something she’d never shared with another human being before. Certainly not a man. It was private. Sensitive. But if anyone would understand this about her, wouldn’t judge, it would be Dylan. And she had to tell him because he of all people would see right through her otherwise. He knew her too well.
“It’s just that I don’t—”
“Don’t worry, I have a condom.”
He slid off her panties and suddenly she was bare and completely exposed to him with nothing but a breath between them.
He cursed under his breath. “Soft and so beautiful.”
She jerked on his arm. “Dylan!”
He finally heard the urgency in her voice, braced himself above her and met her eyes. “What is it?”
“You don’t know this about me, because why should you? But I think it must take me a long time to, um, you know. Please be patient. It’s just….me.”
“Uh-huh.” He studied her. “Haven’t you ever had an orgasm?”
“Ha!” She snorted. “What do you take me for? Have I ever? Well, you know…I guess not.”
“You guess not?”
“At least I don’t think so.”
“You would know it if you had.”
She blew out a breath because of course she’d known that. For a long time. “Then, no. I haven’t. Not with…anyone else around.”
“Got it.” He gave her a slow easy smile. “Do you remember that time we all drove down to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk?”
“Yeah?”
“The bumper cars. You were so good at driving yours that no one could ever catch you. Later you said that was the best time you’d ever had.”
She smiled at the memory. “Such a good day.”
“And this is going to be about a thousand times better.”
15
“I’m just a girl, standing in front of a salad, asking it to be a donut.” ~ meme
When Dylan removed his boxers, discarding them to the side, Charley had a view she’d never seen before and it was…spectacular. She swallowed hard. After all the anticipation, after all the fantasies over the years, she was not at all disappointed. He was every bit as gorgeous as she’d imagined, all hard planes and inherently male angles. Beautiful olive skin.
He’d just promised her the best time of her life. If she were to go by his slow grin, and the easy and confident way that he moved in his own skin, she had no doubts that he’d deliver. He covered her with his warm, hard body and she felt something else that was incredibly…hard.
“Hi,” she said inanely, from the most wonderful place on earth. Under him.
Giving her a wicked grin, he found the racing pulse at her throat and traced it gently, then followed with his mouth. Wanting to touch him, anywhere and everywhere, she threaded her fingers through his thick dark hair. She stroked up his back and back down again, resting at the gorgeous curve of his ass. His fingers skimmed over her breast and his mouth followed their path.
He reached between her thighs and stroked the sensitive area there, touching and teasing her folds. Her skin was too tight. This was unlike anything she’d experienced before, and she felt her control slide away. An intense wave of pleasure rippled and rolled through her body. Everything else in the world slipped away. This might be too good. Too much.
“Is it supposed to feel this way? I don’t know, I—”
“How do you feel?” he asked, then nipped at her earlobe.
“L-like I might explode.”
“Good.” He pressed his forehead to hers. “I’m going to watch you come apart, and then I’m going to put you back together again.”
Lord, his voice. It was so gravelly deep. Sexy. Not wanting to be a slouch and fall behind, she took the opportunity to reach for him and wrap her hand around his shaft. She stroked him, gratified when he hissed between his teeth.
“Wait.” He removed her hand after a few minutes. “I want this to last.”
“And I want you inside me.”
“We’ll get there.”
Not soon enough for her. Dylan’s palms skimmed down her bare skin, creating an intoxicating sensation. He dipped his head again and then his tongue was where his fingers had been minutes ago. When he touched her right in the middle of all her heat and desire, she fisted the sheets in both hands and undulated her hips in rhythm with the exquisite caresses of his warm tongue.
Like the tide, her desire rose slowly and methodically until her entire body shook and she came in a rush of lust and pleasure. Boneless and liquid, she was mildly aware of the sound of plastic ripping open. Dylan thrust into her and her body woke up again. To everything under the sun. To every sound and every tantalizing smell. She heard the sound the bed made as it creaked beneath them. Dylan groaning as he pushed inside her, filling her so completely. He moved slowly, pulling out and then back in again. Even her hands on his ass, urging him to go faster for her didn’t sway him. But each time he drove into her he did so harder and a little faster, the pressure building inside her.
She didn’t know how long it was, hours or minutes or days, because she lost all sense of herself and time. When it seemed as though the tide took her under the tow, she shuddered and came again, clutching on to his shoulders. Dylan pumped faster and harder, locking eyes with hers when he followed her over.
A few minutes later, when she stopped panting like an animal in heat and came back down to earth, she opened her eyes to find Dylan smiling. “You okay?”
“Um, yeah. Sure. I’m…fine.”
Not just fine. She was more than fine. She was a word that hadn’t been invented yet. Because who knew sex could be like this? But maybe sex was different when you could trust a man completely. Trust him enough with your body to let yourself go. She wouldn’t know because until now that had never happened.
He rolled on his back and took her with him. Splayed on top of Dylan’s chiseled hard chest, she didn’t think she’d never seen a more breathtaking sight. And she’d once watched a five-star dessert chef create a white chocolate and raspberry truffle in the shape of a Faberge egg. That dessert had been a work of art.
So was Dylan.
“Look at me,” he said.
“I am looking at you.” Oh, maybe he meant his eyes.
Those eyes were now crinkled with the start of a smile. He threaded his fingers through hers. “This thing here between you and me. I won’t let it change us. No matter what happens.”
There went the ache again. Her heart felt too big in her chest, her skin too tight. “Friends forever.”
He kissed her, a long deep kiss with a heat she felt all the way to her heart. “Naked friends.”
Dylan waited for guilt to cut to slam into him, slicing through his gut. Taking advantage of Charley when she needed him to be nothing more than a comforting friend? Guilty as charged, your honor. Enjoying the feel of her soft legs wrapped around him, of being inside her, giving it to her hard and loving how much she wanted him? I confess. Put me under the jail.
But guilt didn’t arrive. Guilt was MIA.
Instead, there was surprise and shock rocking him, making him wonder why he’d never seen this connection before. Why he’d never acted on it. Maybe because, first, she’d never given him any indication of the depth of her feelings until now. Second, because they began as friends and grew to be best friends. He never wanted to mess with that. Third, because…
Because she leaves.
Yeah. But maybe…since I asked her to stay, she will. He didn’t know what it said about him that he was letting his thoughts run in this direction. It was time to enjoy her. Enjoy this incredible connection and forget about tomorrow.
Live in the moment. Don’t think so much.
Charley rolled and stretched her naked body to his like a cat. “I know what you need.”
She rolled away from him and kicked the sheets off. But that was the wrong direction for what he had in mind. He caught her elbow when one leg was off the bed. “What I need is for you to stay right here.”
“You’re not going anywhere for a while, so I need to feed you, and you can keep up your strength for me.”
“Good idea. I’ll eat you again. You liked that, didn’t you?”
Her cheeks pinked adorably. “You know I did.”
“Yeah.” He’d guessed that from her gyrating hips while he went down on her. It was erotic as hell.
He folded hands behind his neck and watched as she pulled his T-shirt on. It fell to her knees and damn if he didn’t think she was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. “What are you cooking?”
“It’s a surprise.”
Wondering why the big mystery, he had his answer a few minutes later when Charley carried a pot into the bedroom, two forks inside. “I think this is the best batch I’ve ever made.”
His favorite dish. The pasta carbonara she often made for him. He smelled the enticing flavors of garlic and pancetta. Melted cheese. She made it the way he liked it best. Simple. The purist’s version, she called it. They’d often eaten it straight out of the pan while hanging out watching a movie. This time would be quite different.
She curled next to him under the sheets, the pan between them.
He took a fork and ate a mouthful. As always, the best he’d ever had. “Why does this taste so much better? What’s different?”
“We’re eating it in bed together.” She licked her lips. “Naked.”
“No doubt.” Less interested in her food than he’d probably ever been, he tugged her close. “We should have done this a long time ago.”
“I have to say that I agree with you there.” She took a few more bites, then had a wistful look in her eyes. “You know, maybe we should run away together.”
Stomach tightening, Dylan paused with his fork midway to his mouth. “Run away?”
“Yeah, I mean get away for a while. Leave everything behind. Just the two of us.”
She always wanted to run. All the bright and shiny of a new and intriguing city was too much to ignore.
When he finally spoke his voice had a rough edge to it he couldn’t help. “Your thoughts always go to leaving.”
“What? I meant you and me running away together.”
“So that makes it better?”
Her eyes went wide. “I didn’t really mean it. Just a fantasy.”
“Right.” Dylan climbed out of bed and pulled on his boxers. “A fantasy.”
Like the fantasy of the sunset kiss legend. More of the same. He should have expected this from her. And while he wanted real, Charley wanted a dream. He could never give her that. Dammit, now he was irritated. Frustrated with her, when he had no cause to be. It wasn’t her fault. The problem was all up in his own head. His issues, not hers. Calm down. You knew what you were getting into and you still don’t regret this.
Not for a minute.
She followed him, still dressed only in his “Just Do It” tee. It was going to be impossible to stay mad. She was irresistible.
“You can’t walk away from me when we’re fighting.” Her hair was adorably disheveled, and she looked so tiny in his T-shirt. Small and confused. He’d already hurt her. Good going, Einstein. His chest pinched uncomfortably.
“We’re not fighting.” He rolled his shoulders.
He was used to people coming and going in his life because he’d grown up in a boarding house. Many of their tenants had been kind people he’d enjoyed getting to know, people he often came to love like family. He’d had to get used to the feeling of being left behind when one after another they moved out. Moved on. The delineations became clear even as a young kid. Only family stayed.
He should be used to that by now.
“Yes, we are.” Her voice was shaky.
She stayed a few feet behind him. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t seen him shut down before. On the anniversary of his father’s death every year. On bad days when he hadn’t managed to save someone’s life despite Herculean efforts. His feelings of loss and abandonment were not her problem. They were his to own and handle. He was certain she had enough of her own memories that clouded and influenced her decisions.
“C’mere.” He reached behind and hauled her into his arms. “You’re cold.”
“That’s because we left a window open and I’m not a penguin.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his chest. “Why aren’t you cold?”
“I’m too tough to be cold.”
“I’m sorry, Dylan,” she whispered.
“No, I’m the one who’s sorry.” His hands rubbed up and down her back creating friction and warmth. “You were trying to be romantic. I’m an idiot.”
“Aw, but you’re my idiot.” She squeezed him tighter.
“Yeah.” He framed her face and tipped her up to lock eyes with his. “And this idiot is not sharing you. With anyone else.”
“I’m not sharing you, either.”
“You know what? I got that, because of the whole fake engagement thing.”
She closed her eyes. “I’m so bad.”
“Yes, you are.” His lips grazed the curve of her jaw. “But you’re right. We should go away together sometime. Just the two of us.”
“You’re not joking. Really?” She smiled up at him. “I’d love that.”
But while he was thinking of Lake Tahoe or Napa Valley, he’d wager she was imagining Paris.
Hell, maybe, if he got really lucky, they could meet in the middle.
The next day, Dylan tried to concentrate at the station. With the emphasis on tried. He schooled his expression into “LT means business” for the sake of the guys, but his mind kept wandering back to Charley. And last night. Christ. Last night. Who knew it could be like that with her?
He’d started the rotation at the station in the usual way, assigning the crew their household chores. Later they responded to a slew of medical calls, picking up a woman at a local restaurant who had complained of chest pains and shortness of breath, and checking on an elderly man who had fallen at his nursing home. Since medical was about fifty percent of their runs it was a typical morning. He ran a training exercise for the men using some of their new hydraulic rescue tools since some of the crew had little experience with them. Slow times were a perfect opportunity to work on skills.
Dylan had Johnny run the hose from the truck a few times and stretch the line. He was not only new to Miracle Bay, he’d also had no experience with structural fires. It showed, too, and that concerned Dylan. He preferred to minimize the risks to his men by allowing experience to take root. Later in the afternoon, having completed a presentation on blood-borne pathogens, Dylan headed to the room where they kept the weights. After a few minutes on the bench, Marco joined him.
“Hey, spot me.” Dylan said.
He bench-pressed seventy-five pounds. He grunted and put the barbell down after ten reps. “More weight.”
Marco added more weight. “What’s up with you?”
“Nothing. But something is going on with Joe. You notice?”
“Seems preoccupied. And he asked to crash with us for a while. That’s not like him.” Dylan mopped his brow.
“Maybe he missed home. Thought you’d be happy about that. Ma certainly is.”
“Yeah, of course she would be.”
“He says he loves his job and all’s good.”
“Then it’s something else.”
“A woman?”
“Could be.”
Given the situation in his own backyard with Milly, Dylan couldn’t help but imagine that Joe may have knocked someone up. And holy crap, Dylan hoped he wasn’t running from the situation. From the responsibility. Because if that’s what he was doing, Dylan would have to kill him.
“Either way, whatever it is I’m going to assume he’s handling it since he hasn’t asked for our help. And he needs to grow up and decide what he wants to do with his life.”
Dylan sat up and reached for the towel before going for another rep. “Talk to him any more about the open call?”
“Until his eyes glazed over,” Marco said. “He’s not interested. You need to accept it.”
“Reyes!” one of the crew shouted.
“Yeah?” Both Dylan and Marco answered at the same time, and then laughed.
“And you really want there to be three of us?” Marco smirked.
“Joe’s here,” someone else called out.
“Speak of the devil,” Marco said and when Dylan stood from the weight bench, he quickly took his place.
“Hey!” Dylan said.
“What? If he’s here, I know you’ll want to talk to him about the open call next month.” Marco slid him an evil grin.
“Is that so wrong?”
“He has to want it,” Marco said.
The Accidental Kiss Page 10