16. Surges Of Energy
SURGES OF ENERGY
“ N ow I’m hot and sweaty and probably stink too,” Daphne said two hours later.
They’d walked the whole trail, which took about ninety minutes, then Abe surprised her with a sailboat tour that included lunch. Now she knew why he said not to worry about it when she offered to make it and have a picnic.
It was about eighty-five out and the boat was just returning to the docks. The breeze had been nice and cooled her off. She’d even enjoyed the spray of the water.
But now that the air was stale and the sun was beating on her, there was sweat trickling down her back.
Abe leaned in close. “You smell like flowers.”
“Lotion,” she said. “I’m surprised you didn’t say it was flowers and coconut. You smell like sunscreen and Irish Spring soap. My grandfather used to use that.”
“You’re making me feel old saying that,” he said. “But it’s good. Gets me clean and helps me feel that way. I tend to scrub up good.”
Her hand went to his arm. “I bet you get dry skin in the winter.”
He shrugged. “If it’s bad enough I put something on it.”
“Blossoms has all sorts of nice products,” she said. “Even Aster uses some of the men’s lines.”
“I want to growl and say no way, but Easton is using them. I noticed them in the house when he lived there.”
“To help out when you went to stay with your mother,” she said. It was nice to see that the loyalty ran deep in his family.
Something she had with Aster, but that was it.
“Yes,” he said. “He did me a solid stepping in that way. And now he’s got himself one hell of a woman out of it. He should be thanking me more.”
She smiled. “I’m sure he thanks you enough,” she said.
They climbed off the boat after waiting for everyone else to get off, then moved to his truck.
“What do you want to do now?” he asked. “It’s almost three.”
“I don’t care,” she said. “We can go back to your place if you want and just relax. I don’t need to be entertained all the time. It’s been a fun day and I enjoyed it. Or if you’ve got something going on, I can go home.”
“Nothing going on,” he said. “Unless you need to do more research on word find games.”
She frowned. “What?” she asked.
“You said you are trying to find hobbies. It’s the first one that came to my mind. My mother does word find games.”
“Got it,” she said. “I have been trying to find things to kill the time, but I wouldn’t do that. I can’t sit still and that requires it. If I was going to sit, I’d rather make something useful. Like a blanket or paint. Though I can’t paint.”
“You could start cooking as a hobby. I’ll be a taste tester for you.”
“I do like to cook,” she said. “And I have been spending a lot of time on new recipes. It would be nice to share with someone.”
“Sweet,” he said with a massive smirk on his face as he turned to her in the truck.
“When is Laurel coming back?” she asked.
“No clue,” he said. “Probably Sunday to go to work on Monday. I don’t know if Easton is coming with her. I don’t talk to them all that much.”
“I thought you were close,” she said.
“We text but not about those things,” he said. “Maybe guys just aren’t that way.”
“I text with Aster, but not much. I think we texted more when I lived in Texas.”
“Because he was probably worried about you. Now he’s not so worried.”
“I don’t think so,” she said. “Because he can come to save me. I’m sick of needing saving.”
He reached his hand over to grab hers. “I won’t save you, I promise. Unless you fall into the water and don’t know how to swim. Or if a big snake is coming toward you, I can get it with a shovel. Slam it down and chop its head right off.”
“I can do that myself,” she said, waving her hand. “Do you know how many snakes are in Texas?”
“See,” he said. “Perfect. I don’t like bugs. Will you take care of bugs for me?”
“You’re being silly again, but sure, bugs don’t bother me. Not much does. I just do what needs to be done in life.”
“Like I said,” he said. “You don’t need saving. You just need to get that thought out of your head.”
“You could be right,” she said.
And when they returned to his house she realized that she was sick of overthinking everything.
Of being worried about what people say or think about her.
How they judged her career or where she lived.
Who she was with or how she looked.
She was with a guy who didn’t make her think of any of those things now.
Crazy how in just a few days he’d broken down a concrete wall she’d been building around her body for years.
“What are you thinking?” he asked when they climbed out of his truck.
“Why do you ask that?” she asked.
“Because your eyes got dark and you’re staring at me. I’m not going to be the idiot and say what I think.”
“Doesn’t seem to have stopped you so far.”
He laughed. “I’m not going to be insulted over that.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, feeling the heat fill her face. Might as well catch up since her body had been feeling all sorts of surges of energy this entire day. “I didn’t mean it that way. I mean nothing has stopped you from saying what you think, so do it now.”
“You might not be ready to hear it,” he said.
“Oh, I’m ready to hear it. I just want to make sure we are thinking the same. Or you’re seeing what I’m sending your way. I’m just hoping you don’t think ill of me.”
He grabbed her arm and pulled her to the back of the house, unlocked the door, and then shut it and locked it behind him.
He had her up against the wall, his mouth on hers, and this was one of those kisses they had yesterday that set her body so much on fire that she thought the room would have burst into flames.
Her mouth opened under his, his tongue slid in, and together they were playing seek and catch and she didn’t care who won.
There could be no losers, she realized. Not when they were together like this.
His head was angling from one side to the next, hers doing the same.
“Stop putting thoughts in my head,” he growled.
“What?” she asked, blinking her eyes. Was she way off base and he didn’t want to do this?
“You said you didn’t want me to think ill of you. I can’t do that. Then you’d think the same of me. Don’t you see that? You weren’t alone that night. Do you think ill of me for going to that room with you?”
“No,” she said.
“All right then,” he said. “Get it out of your head that I might think it of you. What I want in your head is what we did that night, if you’re ready.”
“More than ready,” she said.
“Only if you tell me you’re not going to let our first time bother you again. And make me believe it.”
She stared into his dark brown eyes.
They were almost black with arousal, but she was positive if she didn’t make him believe her, he’d stop right then and there.
It told her he had honor when so many other people around her in life didn’t.
“I’m ready to put it behind me,” she said. “I’m ready to stop thinking it was bad and hoping we can match it.”
“We aren’t matching it,” he said, picking her up and putting her over his shoulder. “We are going to do it even better.”
She knew he was strong. Not just by looking at him, but by the ease with which he tossed her up and was moving through the house.
He wasn’t out of breath, but she was sure the hell breathless with anticipation.
“Are you making a promise?” she asked.
“If I don’t fulfill it,” he said, “then you can give me a chance to make it up to you.”
“I’ll hold you to it,” she said.
They got up the stairs and he turned into his room. There was a big king-sized bed in the center. She didn’t notice much more other than the room was a shade of blue and the bedspread was gray.
Then she was dumped on it, her body bounced and Abe came down over the top of her.
“Do we need to shower first? I’m good with that if you are. Or do we work up an even bigger sweat and cool off in there.”
She reached for the hem of his shirt, pulled it up over his head and tossed it to the floor.
Her face got close to his chest and licked him. The saltiness of what was clinging to him only flipped a switch in her body to have her reaching for the button on his shorts.
“Sex first,” she said. “Now. Fast. Then shower and have sex again.”
“I can do that,” he said. “I’m good at following orders.”
They hadn’t talked much the first time. They’d let their bodies do everything they needed to and their actions spoke more than words ever could.
He stood up and out of her reach. She wanted to yell at him to come back, but he only walked to a dresser and then pulled out a condom from a drawer and tossed it at her.
She opened it up quickly. “Get undressed.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said.
He undid his shorts and dropped them down with his underwear while he toed off his sneakers and socks.
He moved closer and she grabbed his dick in her hand. Big and thick, long and firm.
It was all coming back to her now.
She wanted to reach out and taste it, but he growled at her to hurry up.
So she put the condom on him and the minute she was done, he was pushing her back on the bed, tackling her sneakers and socks and yanking them so hard that she thought he was going to pull her onto the floor.
She laughed over his antics, thinking he was joking, but he was dead serious right now.
The fire in his eyes would have turned her to ash if there was a way for it to shoot out.
She undid her shorts and wiggled out of them, with him grabbing them away and tossing them on the floor, while she lifted her shirt.
She didn’t get a chance to take her bra off before he had her on the edge of the bed, him standing while he found her opening and slammed in fast and deep.
She let out a loud groan and he did it again.
Her back was on the bed, his hands were under her hips and he was thrusting into her at a hurried pace.
She was terrified he was going to come before her and she didn’t want that to happen.
Though he did say he’d make it up to her.
She did something else she’d never done before. She reached her hand between her legs, found her swollen bud, and then started to play with herself.
She saw the smile on Abe’s face the minute before her eyes shut.
All she wanted to do was feel everything happening inside her body.
“That’s it,” he said. “Get yourself there. Damn, the sight of you is out of this world.”
His voice was just the accelerant that she needed to push her past the wall holding her in place.
“Oh God,” she said. “Go harder. Please, go harder.”
Her hand dropped away as she came. Abe’s fingers were gripping her hips almost in a vise, which was a good thing because he was fucking her so hard that the bed was moving and she was afraid she’d be separated from him if he didn’t hang on.
She was gripping the sheets in her fist and he was grunting out noises almost as loud as her, then collapsing down on top of her.
She let out a loud groan and thought he’d get the hint and just roll.
He didn’t. He stayed there gasping for breath.
She wanted to tell him to move, but then realized she was too proud of herself to know she brought him to that level of exhaustion.