Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Holt
Debbie responds in all caps, obnoxiously text screaming at me for taking the day off. I send her the emoji that looks like it’s sticking its tongue out like a petulant child. She sends me the middle finger emoji. I grin at the ceiling, then look down at Maple draped across my chest. Absolutely worth provoking Debbie’s ire to spend the day with this woman. Plus, I can’t remember the last time I called in sick, so I’m due for some time off.
I drop the phone onto the blankets and run my fingers through her long hair. She doesn’t stir, sleeping like the dead when every bone in my body isn’t happy with me. I don’t know how she sleeps on the floor every night. But that soreness is also worth it. I squeeze my eyes shut, remembering last night. The way her skin felt like silk under my fingers. The large back tattoo that entranced me each time she inhaled and exhaled. The feel of her surrendering, giving me full control of her body in that position. Fuck, I loved every second of being buried inside Maple Thatcher, my fake fiancée.
Maple finally stirs and I fling my eyes open to watch her. Her lashes blink rapidly like she’s trying to figure out this new human-shaped pillow she’s been snuggled up to all night long.
“You drool in your sleep,” I tease her.
Maple’s hand flies to the side of her mouth where she did actually drool on my chest. She swipes furiously like if she removes any evidence, I’ll forget she drools more than Mookie with her favorite bone. Speaking of Mookie, she darts over the second I speak, crawling right on top of Maple to lick her in the face. Maple yelps and pulls the dog down to my chest to give her a proper pet without the wandering tongue.
“Why does my dog like you better than me? I rescued her, for God’s sake. Her previous owner, one of our residents at Sunny Shores, got her just a few months before she passed away suddenly. No family or friends, and nowhere for Mookie to go. You’d think she’d have a soft spot for me.” I frown at my pet while she rolls over and begs for belly rubs. I wouldn’t mind some belly rubs too, but Mookie steals Maple’s full attention.
“It’s just a girl thing, isn’t it, pretty baby,” Maple talks to my dog in a low throaty voice that has me imagining other yoga poses I might be able to talk her into. Naked, of course.
I snatch Mookie off my chest and away from Maple, intent on seeing if I can talk Maple into putting her hands on me instead. Mookie snarls and snaps like a feral animal, legs kicking in the air. Putting her down off the blankets, I roll my eyes at her impression of a rabid dog.
“Be nice or I won’t take you for a walk this morning,” I warn.
Mookie doesn’t quit growling or baring her teeth. I realize I have a situation on my hands that I need to deal with before I can get some alone time with the woman who’s hijacked my brain. Turning back to Maple, I point at her, taking in the tousled hair and sleepy eyes. “Stay there. I’ll be right back.”
I climb out of the blankets stark naked, picking Mookie back up and holding her away from my chest as she snaps again. “Let’s get you some food. Food always helps the hangry ladies.”
Maple’s tinkling laughter follows me into the kitchen where I pour more than a normal feeding into her bowl, just to buy myself some time. I also take the barrier off the doggie door so Mookie can take herself outside to do her business whenever she needs. I usually keep it blocked off, due to the animals around these parts, but morning is a safe time for her to be out there alone. Mookie doesn’t waste a second diving face-first into her bowl.
Maple sits up in the blankets, keeping them tucked around her chest as I return. I dive in and flatten her back down with my body over hers. She laughs and runs a hand through my hair. Seeing a smile on her face is doing crazy things to my insides.
“Don’t you need to get to work?”
I shake my head slowly, realizing I don’t give a damn about anything outside of this cabin right now. “I called in. I’m spending the day with you. Whatever you want to do.”
Maple drills me in the ribs with her fingers. “I want to breathe, first.”
I roll off of her reluctantly, but am rewarded when she sits back up against the couch, the blankets falling away from her bare breasts. I feel like one of those cartoons where the character’s eyes fall out of their sockets. Goddamn, her breasts are spectacular. In the full light of the morning and with nothing blocking my view, I can see them clearly and take them in in all their glory. I was never a boob guy, but I can finally see the appeal. Maybe I just wasn’t looking at the right ones before.
The groan is out before I can pull it back in. My hands shoot out to cup her round breasts. I seem to have the impulse control of a twelve-year-old boy realizing he likes girls and they have body parts he doesn’t. I feel their full weight in my palms and swipe my thumbs across the silky tips. Maple sighs, the exhale of air brushing along my wrists.
“I made a critical error,” I mutter, trying to catalog the exact color of her nipples.
“What’s that?” Maple says, her voice as breathy as I feel.
“When we made love last night, I couldn’t see these incredible breasts.” I give them a light squeeze and nearly start drooling myself. “I’m an absolute idiot.”
Maple shakes with silent laughter, her voice saucy and confident. “I can see you like them.”
I drag my gaze away to see what she’s talking about. My dick is hard as steel, lying against my stomach like he thinks he might get a repeat performance of last night. “He’s half the reason I walked away from you when I was fourteen.” My gaze lifts to hers and holds.
She looks confused for a moment, then reaches over and wraps her fingers around my length. I forget what we’re talking about. “What do you mean? I thought it was because I knocked your glasses off or you didn’t like me.”
My eyes fling open. “No. That had nothing to do with you, Maple. I hated those things. I’d just gotten them and wasn’t used to them yet. They got knocked off and I was embarrassed. Add in the fact that I was fourteen and getting hard-ons at inopportune times, like kissing the first hot girl I’d ever noticed. I was so embarrassed, I ran. I didn’t want you to think I was some kind of creep.”
Maple blushes, then strokes me, base to tip in a firm grip. “I would never think you’re a creep.” She strokes me again and my eyes cross. “I need a hot shower, my hunky monkey. Want to join me?”
I have never moved faster than this moment. I haul her up off the floor and into my arms, running for the bathroom with her laughter echoing in the cabin. Letting the water run to get warm, I sink my hands into her hair and kiss her.
When she was still asleep this morning, I wasn’t sure how she’d feel about me in the light of day. I’d been hoping against hope she’d be on board with my suggestion in the middle of sex last night. Wasn’t my finest moment, proposing a summer fling while I was balls deep in a woman, but I’d had to get the words out. Had to see if we could explore each other for a defined amount of time. I knew instantly one night wasn’t going to be enough for me.
The kiss immediately turns hotter than the summer sun on a black inner tube. I have her up on the tiny sink counter, my hands on her breasts and my tongue down her throat when I realize we’re supposed to be showering. It takes a great deal of willpower to pull myself away from her. Her hair is a tangled mess and her lips are swollen from our kisses. The delicate skin of her breasts is pink from my hands. She’s the sexiest woman I’ve ever seen.
I move one anklet-clad foot and reach into the cabinet below her to pull out a condom from a box I have stored there. I put the foil packet between my teeth and pick her up, carrying her into the shower. I force myself to be a gentleman, washing every inch of her body with soap and washing her hair. I don’t have conditioner, but she says it’s fine. I make a mental note to pick some up to have in my shower. I plan to take a million showers with Maple over the next two months.
“You sure you’re okay with this over the summer?” I finally ask as I rinse out the shampoo. Maple has her head tilted back, trusting me to keep the water out of her eyes as I guide the showerhead.
She waits until the soap is fully rinsed and she can open her eyes. Her hands crawl up my chest and into my damp hair. Her blue eyes look bright against her pale skin. “Absolutely okay with it. I’ve always wanted to have a summer fling with you.”
Fuck, this woman gets better every single moment I’m with her. How does she know exactly what to say to bring me to my knees? I grab the condom off the shelf in the shower and roll it on. I can’t wait any longer. I need to be inside of her. Need to feel her squeezing the life out of me while she falls apart.
“I’ll be gentle this time,” I assure her, picking her up by the hips. She wraps her legs around my waist, a sultry smile on her pretty face.
“Don’t you dare.”
On a groan, I thrust up into her. Her nails dig into my shoulders and we both hiss as I give her a moment to adjust.
“Goddamn, Maple,” I groan, our foreheads resting together. She feels so good, I can’t get over it.
In response, she squeezes her thighs and begins to ride my dick, her slick back leveraging the tile like she just can’t wait. Considering I don’t want to wait either, I help her along, my hands gripping her hips tight and thrusting into her as hard as I can on trembling legs. It takes almost no time at all for her to tighten around me and cry out my name. Just hearing my name on her lips is enough to send me over the edge with her.
We’re both breathing hard and shaking as we recover together, Maple still pinned against the wall. It’s got to be uncomfortable, but I’m afraid my legs will give out if I disengage right now. Her fingernails scrape along my scalp and I shiver back to life.
Gently sliding out of her, I help her get back on her feet and rinse her off again. She steps out of the shower as I take care of the condom and rinse off as well. She’s got the towel wrapped around her as she uses my towel to wipe off the fogged-up mirror. She hands it to me with a guilty look. I just grin and take it from her. She can do no wrong in my eyes.
“So, what’s the plan for today, moonbeam?”
She snorts softly at the nickname. It’s silly, but it somehow stuck. She’s like a moonbeam of light, all white skin and calm, dreamy voice. She’s the tranquility you feel in the stillness of the middle of the night. When stars dot the dark sky and the world just stops.
“Well, we need to eat. I’m starving! And then we should take Mookie for a walk. And then we need to run by the store because I forgot one last item for the chili cook-off tomorrow. We should stop and see Grandma Gracie too.”
Maple lists things off as she tries to swipe a brush through her tangled hair, oblivious to me checking her out. There’s something so natural about her being here, in this cabin with me. In my brief married life, cohabiting was hard. Coordinating schedules, sharing space, and blending lives was a rocky experience that I didn’t want to repeat. But having Maple here is…easy. Natural. Fun, actually, especially now that sex has entered the picture.
She turns around, brush stuck in her hair, a goofy smile on her face. “I think I need conditioner and then I’ll attack this mess.”
I slide my hand behind her neck and pull her in so I can kiss her, hairbrush, matted hair, and all. “I’ll get breakfast going, then.” I force myself to let go of her before she can accuse me of being obsessed with her. But I do smack her on the ass before I leave the bathroom, earning a shriek of indignant laughter.
Diverting to my bedroom to grab a pair of shorts and underwear, I slide them on and head for the kitchen. Mookie’s prancing from the back door to the kitchen, her nose in the air like the queen she thinks she is.
I open my mouth to praise her for using the doggie door when I catch a whiff that makes my lip curl. Sure enough, there by the back door, right next to the available doggie door, is a stinky present left on my flip-flop. What the fuck?
“Seriously, Mookie?”
The dog doesn’t even look at me as she walks into the kitchen to sniff for scraps she knows I’ll drop as I cook breakfast. I clean up the mess as best I can, thinking it might be worth throwing out the flip-flops instead of trying to sanitize them. Maple joins me in the kitchen before I’ve even gotten ingredients out of the refrigerator, dressed in another flowy shirt with a thousand necklaces and a pair of white jean shorts that make me rethink if her breasts are her nicest body part.
I point at the dog who thinks she’s better than me. “You’re worthless, you know that, Mook?”
“What did she do?” Maple asks on a gasp, stepping between us like she intends to protect the little shitter.
I narrow my eyes at Mookie. “She knows what she did.” The mutt has the audacity to widen her eyes, looking innocent and cute.
Maple bends down and picks her up, cuddling the furball to her chest. “You poor thing. I don’t know why that mean man is so grumpy.”
I snort and get out eggs and yogurt, preparing what’s now more of a brunch than breakfast. “Since we only have the summer, why don’t we list out some fun things we want to do around here. The chili cook-off is tomorrow. Then we can find the weekend bonfire. Not by boat this time…”
Maple giggles, sitting at the bar with my dog. “Definitely not taking the canoe this time. But don’t forget finding Grandma’s old flame.”
“Definitely. Ol’ Hank has to be around here somewhere.” I turn back to the stove and slide some eggs on a plate. “Oh! And there’s the annual scavenger hunt. We have to do that! I’ve always wanted to win.”
I hand the plate of eggs to Maple and cut up some fruit for the yogurt. By the time we’ve eaten everything, Mookie has wandered off and we’ve put pen to paper to come up with a detailed list of all the things we want to do together this summer.
“Can’t say I’ve ever looked forward to a summer more,” I admit, my hand coming to rest on hers.
Maple leans her head on my shoulder. “Me too,” she says softly. A long moment later, she adds, “And what about our breakup?”
Just the idea of it takes all the fun I felt a moment ago and deflates it like a balloon landing on a bed of nails. “You’ll go back to Charlotte and I’ll stay here in Anchor Lake. We can claim irreconcilable differences.”
She doesn’t answer.
And I try not to think about summer ending.