She laughed as well, a delicious laugh that made him grin. Damn, he liked that laugh. "I think I'll record your laugh," he said. "You know, for those nights when my nightmares wake me up. When I'm sweating, in a state of panic, and pulling my gun on innocent people that happen to stumble into my room. I could play a recording of your laugh, then all my tension would just fade away."
She laughed again, her eyes dancing as she poked him in the chest. "That's almost a little stalker-like. Are you actually sort of creepy?"
"Nah, I'm not creepy. I'm hot, I'm badass, and I have no social life whatsoever. I think having my entire social life be defined by a recording of your laughter to be played whenever I'm in a panic attack mode doesn't sound at all creepy, pathetic, or weird. Why do you ask?"
Amusement crinkled around the corners of her eyes. "You're right. There's actually no reason why anyone would think that was creepy. My bad." She rolled onto his chest, propped her elbows up, and rested her chin in her palms, studying his face. "So then, you wouldn't mind or think it's weird if I took some naked pictures of you for my phone? Then, when I'm feeling like the world is a dark and dirty place, I can look at pictures of you and remember this specimen of delicious masculinity who rocked my world one magical night?"
Heat begin to build in his belly again. "Hot damn, woman. That kind of request is every man's dream. I'm all yours." He flexed one arm, checking out his biceps. "I could pose like this. Would that work for you?"
Her eyebrows went up, and she squeezed his bicep. "Damn. That's really hard. It's like steel under there."
"Yeah, as I said, I'm a badass. Plus, when I can't sleep, I work out. All my neuroses are fantastic for my physique. So you should really hope that my newfound appreciation of flowers doesn't really solve my issues, or I won't be your sexy, hot restore-your-faith-in-life-eye-candy guy."
"Well, that's good to know. I'll do my best to keep you traumatized."
Fresh desire surged through Blue. This time, it was a different desire. It was the kind of desire that was lit with a thirst for life. He slid his hands through her hair and drew her face down to his, catching her mouth in a kiss that was more playful and fun than he could remember ever experiencing. She was still laughing as he rolled her onto her back, showering her body with kisses.
"Now see," she said. "You're definitely trying to ruin my life. Not only did we have this intimate moment of deep personal connection, but now you're making sex fun. Sex isn't supposed to be fun. It's supposed to be obligatory, rote, and filled with all sorts of pressure to perform." She burst out laughing as he growled and bit her hipbone. "It is definitely not supposed to make me laugh. Now I'm going to add that to my expectations for the rest of my life. Love, emotional intimacy, sharing of secrets, great orgasms, and giggling. Seriously? That's so unfair to raise the bar like that."
He laughed, even as he growled and began nibbling his way up her inner thigh, accentuating each nibble with assorted murmurs of nonsense and appreciation about every freckle that he encountered.
She laughed, her fingers sliding in his hair as she shifted beneath him, her breath getting faster, making it clear that humor was as much of an aphrodisiac and a seduction as grief, trauma, and all the other emotional baggage.
With a low growl, he crawled up her body and clasped her hands over her head. "My darling, I've come to ruin your life with great sex, incredible orgasms, and fantastic humor."
"And don't forget to add that no male will ever live up to your physical prowess. I mean seriously, look at this." She slid her foot over his calf, her toes digging into his muscle. "What man has muscles like that? No man. It's so unfair. I'm going to burst out laughing every time any man takes off his clothes in front of me again for the rest of my life. "
He grinned, unable to deny that he was pretty damn thrilled at the idea that no man would ever be able to live up to him. It made him even happier to think that she might actually ridicule every man into being unable to perform. "I have to admit, laughing at a man when he takes off his clothes could definitely be a serious impediment to his performance. And honestly, I think that sounds like a great plan. I kind of feel like I've staked a claim to your delicious body and great sense of humor. I think that sharing you with some other future guy who's got a pot belly and a saggy ass doesn't really work for me." As he spoke, he bent his head and began to whisper orders to her breasts to humiliate any man who ripped off his clothes in front of her.
"Seriously?" She caught his face in her hands, and forced him to look up at her. "First of all, my breasts are on my team, not yours, no matter how great your pecs are, so stop trying to enlist their aid to ruin my life. Now that you've shown them how delightful it is to be nibbled on, they're definitely going to be highly motivated to repeat the experience, so as long as a guy shows potential, they're definitely not going to ridicule his manhood, or his ass, or any other body part."
He grinned. "I think you're wrong." He pinched her right nipple between his thumb and forefinger, and grinned when she gasped and arched her back. "See, here's the thing. Instant gratification is a very powerful thing, especially when it comes to having the opportunity to be catapulted into ecstasy beyond words, so they're at my mercy for whatever I want from them." He pinched her other breast, grinning when she squeaked and gripped his shoulders. "And since, in this short time that we've been together, you've been so expressive with everything I do, I have a pretty good idea already of how to take you to that precipice, hold you there relentlessly, until your entire body is about to explode, and then send you catapulting into the heavens, beyond what you can conceive of. No other guy is ever going to do that for you."
As he spoke, he moved his other hand between her legs, watching each intake of her breath with great care, refining his approach and coiling the intensity tighter and tighter.
"Oh." Her breath was tight, her voice raspy. "I think I can see what you mean. I might be willing to sell myself out for that. I mean, if you could deliver…" She let out another yelp when he moved his hand. "Not that you've proved to me that you have that kind of ability. At this point, I'm not completely convinced that my breasts would abdicate their loyalty to me and defect to your side... Oh, God."
He was now down between her legs, using his tongue and lips to prove his case. Her hands were twisted in the pillow, and her feet were resting on his hipbones. Her denials had turned into adorable, rambling gasps of pleasure, intermixed with little instructions about what he could do to get her body parts to gang up on her and take his side even more.
By the time he'd moved back over her, and slid his knees between hers, he had just about lost control of his own willpower. His body had joined hers in some kind of call to adventure, and would not let him toy with her anymore. He needed the whole nine yards, and he needed it now.
He slid inside her, and simultaneously, they both let out the most intense sigh of utter satisfaction. "Damn. Does this feel as good to you as it does to me?" Of course, he knew the answer, if the way she'd wrapped her arms around his neck, and kind of melted into the pillow was any indication, but he wanted to hear it. He needed to hear it.
"God yes. At this point, I'm completely willing to ruin my sex life for eternity just for another few minutes with you."
Intense satisfaction settled in him, and he grinned. "Damn, sweetheart, you have a way of making a man feel like he rules the world. It's fantastic. Never change." Then, before she could answer, he kissed her, a kiss that seemed to literally ignite fireworks throughout his body, and his mind.
It took another three hours of kissing, playing, teasing, and trying out assorted yoga positions before they both reached that glorious precipice that he promised would ruin them forever.
As he collapsed beside her, both of them sweating, laughing, and panting, he knew that he had succeeded. Every sexual episode after this for the rest of their lives would be a failure compared to this, which, of course, felt brilliantly fantastic at the moment.
In another day or two, it would
probably feel like a poor choice. But right now? Best damn decision he'd ever made.
Chapter 17
When Chloe woke up, the first thing she realized was that there was the most amazing sense of peace settled deep inside of her. Each breath she took seemed to expand her lungs in a way that had never happened before. The corners of her mouth were curved up in the tiniest smile. And every muscle in her body was utterly relaxed.
Blue's arms were wrapped around her, tucking her into the curve of his body. His leg was over her hip, locking her against him, and his face was nestled in the curve of her neck. She could feel the heat from his breath drifting across her skin in a smooth, even rhythm that told her that Blue was deeply asleep. She smiled, and ran her hand over his forearm, tucking it more tightly between her breasts.
She couldn't remember the last time she'd slept naked. A decade? More? She also couldn't remember the last time that she'd woken up completely entangled with a man. It felt...perfect.
She took a deep breath, settling deeper into the mattress, and into the heat and warmth of his body. She let her eyes close again, but as she did so she became gradually aware of the sound of low conversation, and the creaking of floors, from downstairs.
Her eyes snapped open, and she sat up, cocking her head as she strained to hear what was happening in her house. There was the distinct sound of women's voices, and then a sharp crack of laughter. She recognized that laughter. Eppie.
"What in heaven's name is going on down there?" Chloe untangled herself from Blue and raced across the room to her suitcase, which was still housing all her clothes, despite the fact that there were two beautiful dressers in the bedroom. She grabbed a clean pair of underwear and yanked it on. She was just reaching for her jeans when she heard the low mumble of Blue's voice.
Despite her focus on whatever was happening downstairs, she couldn't help the smile that crept across her face when she heard him call her name. She spun around, the smile widening when she saw him blinking at her, his green eyes still hazy with sleep. His jaw had even thicker whiskers on it than had the night before, and even in his completely relaxed state, the muscles in his shoulders and arms were deliciously tempting. The sheets were draped low across his hips, revealing his muscled torso, and the promise of so much more.
"Morning, sweetheart," he said, his voice still sleepy. "Where you going?" As he spoke, he held out his hand to her, flicking his fingers in the come-hither gesture that made her heart turn over.
She hurried over to the bed, giggling when he grabbed her wrist and tugged her down on top of him. She fell against him, and then grinned as he gave her a kiss guaranteed to make her morning start out well. By the time he broke the kiss, her hand was on his butt, and his arm was locked around her waist. "We can't," she whispered, giggling as she tried to pull herself free. "There's someone downstairs. I need to go see what's going on."
"Yeah," he said, not letting her go. "They arrived about an hour ago. It sounds like there are six women down there."
Chloe couldn't keep the surprise off her face. "You heard them arrive? Why didn't you wake me up?"
A wicked gleam came into his eyes. "Seriously? Why on earth would I interrupt that glorious moment of having you wrapped around me, so you could go downstairs and deal with a bunch of uninvited guests? As long as they didn't come up here, I was good with it."
Warmth spread through her at his suggestive tone. She lightly whacked his shoulder as she disentangled herself from him. "So, there you go. Look at the progress you've made. Six women invade your house while you're sleeping, and not only do you not pull a gun on them, but you don't even feel the need to get up out of bed. How about that?" She'd been teasing, but the moment she said that, his smile faded and his eyes became serious. "Sorry," she immediately apologized. "I didn't mean to bring that up."
"No," he said, running his hand absently along her hip. "It's a good point. I slept hard last night. I haven't slept without a nightmare in a long time, but it was a clean sleep." He looked at her, studying her. "It was a good night. A great night."
She smiled, heat flushing her cheeks as she thought of all they had done. "Yes, it was." She hesitated, then continued, "I'm glad you had a good sleep. I never used to sleep when I was in the foster homes. I was always afraid someone would come get me during the night. I'm glad that being here last night gave you that respite."
"Yeah." He didn't say anymore. He just kept watching her, his green eyes searching her face as if trying to find the answers that eluded him.
There was a thud from downstairs, and then a hoot of laughter. Chloe grimaced. "I better get down there and see what they're doing."
"Yeah, you should." But instead of letting her go, Blue pulled her close and kissed her, a long, decadent kiss that made the rest of the world fade away, until all that was left was this moment with him.
It took her another twenty minutes to get downstairs, and she'd never had a better reason to be twenty minutes late.
* * *
By the time Chloe made it to the bottom of the stairs, she realized there was a serious amount of noise coming from the little store area at the front of her house. Frowning, she slowed down as she neared the door, and peered around the corner.
To her shock, there were six women around Eppie's age in her front room, literally setting up a knitting store. There were boxes of yarn everywhere. There were knitting needles of every shape and size on the table next to her computer. There were more chairs in there, and even a couple of easy chairs which were currently being occupied by two women so old and diminutive they actually seemed to sink into the cushions. Both of those women, with their white-lavender hair and brightly colored sandals, were busily knitting while chatting with the other four women who were bustling around the room.
Eppie was standing by the exterior door, holding a tray with six coffees, and a huge pile of assorted pastries. "Break time," she announced as she walked in and set the tray on the table. "Donated by Ophelia in honor of our store being opened again. She'll be over in a little bit to help, once her assistant arrives to help her out at the deli." She began handing out her supplies, continuing to natter on to the ladies about her plans for the store.
For a moment, Chloe was stunned into stillness. It was so shocking to see all these women in her front room, chatting, laughing, and turning an empty, dusty, abandoned storefront into a vibrant and welcoming place. For a split second, she wanted to be a part of that. She wanted to walk in there, and have everyone turn to her, call her by name, and bombard her with ideas for the store that they would create together.
But then she saw Eppie pick up the laptop that Chloe had left there last night, and move it to the glass display case. Chloe's gaze settled on that computer, the one she had spent most of the day working on, sending out résumés. That computer was her life, the one where she could make a difference, the one where she could change the future of the foster kids that were living the life that she had once led.
The warm feeling inside her faded, replaced with a grim determination to follow through on her mission to get a job. What right did she have to sit in the store, laughing, when there were kids out there who needed someone to help them? Resolutely, she lifted her chin, and walked into the store to send them on their way.
She had made it only two feet into the room when Eppie noticed her. Eppie's face lit up with such delight, that Chloe actually hesitated, and looked behind her to see what Eppie was looking at.
There was no one behind her.
Frowning, Chloe turned back, but before she could even get her head facing forward again, she found herself wrapped up in another massive hug by the fiery older lady who had taken over the store.
Chloe's arms hung beside her, uncertain whether to hug her back or not, but Eppie didn't seem to care. She pulled back, clasping Chloe's shoulders, as she gave her an appraising look. "Well, damn, girl. That must've been some kind of night of sex for you to have taken that long to get down here."
"What?" Ch
loe's eyes widened, and she felt her cheeks flush as the other five women all looked over. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Eppie snorted. "Darling, you just don't understand Birch Crossing yet, do you?"
Chloe glanced around the room, wishing desperately she was anywhere but here. "I don't know what you mean…"
"You don't, eh? I'll enlighten you." Eppie slid her hand through Chloe's elbow and walked her across the room toward the front window. She pointed out at the street, at Blue's truck, which was still parked in front of her house. "That delicious friend of Harlan's walked into your house with a bottle of wine last night at dinner time, and he never left. Do you really think we're all so old that we don't know what happens when a specimen like that spends the night at a single woman's house?" She cocked an eyebrow at Chloe. "Not only were we all young once, but quite frankly we're still young, if you know what I mean."
"Ah..." Chloe glanced around the room, kind of horrified that everyone seemed to be listening so attentively.
"So?" Eppie pressed at her. "It was a good night? It must have been, right?"
Chloe's cheeks began a slow burn, and she shrugged noncommittally. "Yeah, it was a good night," she mumbled, rolling her eyes to herself when the room erupted into rousing cheers. She looked up at Eppie. "Seriously? Cheers?"
"Sweet girl," Eppie said, giving Chloe a stern look. "If you had seen the weight in your eyes when you walked into Wright's yesterday morning, you'd be cheering for you, too." She took Chloe's arm and turned her to face the room. "Now, we've started getting things ready, but it's really up to you how you want to lay it out. We, of course, have some suggestions. Louise was quite frankly somewhat stubborn about how she was setting up her store. Her mother and her grandmother before that had hosted a knitting store here before, and she was quite adamant about trying to continue their traditions." Eppie gave a warm smile. "Of course, her mother and grandmother were lovely people, but let's be honest, no woman in that Parker family knew how to set up a knitting shop that was really spectacular. Fortunately, you have all of us, with all our experience, to help you."
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