Chapter 14
Maverick
Why had I thought she was a good girl who dressed in sweaters and glasses? Now I wondered if she had a secret vibrator collection in her nightstand, because her outfit screamed sex.
The jeans outlined every curve, and the sheer black top left nothing to the imagination. When I pulled her against me and kissed her, I felt the hard points of her nipples.
The addition of the red lipstick gave me a vision of her mouth stretched around my dick. But I had other plans for her tonight. I wanted to taste her.
"I want to be a gentleman, but you're making it impossible," I finally said because her yum comment had made my dick hard.
Her expression was naughty, and her lips pursed, giving me all sorts of ideas. "That wasn't my intention."
I gestured at her outfit. "You wore this with red lips and didn't think you'd be impossible to resist?"
She shrugged. "I asked for reinforcements."
"Your friends helped?" I kind of liked that she'd felt the need to primp for a date with me. It made me wonder if she'd done the same for what would have been our official first date back in high school. And that made me feel awful for leaving her hanging.
She winced. "I wasn't sure if this was too much for dinner in."
"Your outfit is perfect. Trust me." My voice sounded like I was dragging it over nails, and I flexed my fingers, unsure I'd be able to keep my hands off her long enough to eat. It was torture.
"It's a casual evening—"
"Nothing is casual with you. Everything is heightened." The time she showed up barefoot in silky lingerie on my job site. Reading books to the kids at story time in her prim cardigans and reading glasses. "There's nothing I don't like about you. Everything I see only makes me want you more."
I moved around the counter, and she shifted on her stool so that she was facing me.
My hand dove into her hair, which was fuller and wavier tonight.
Everything about her was sexy as hell. I couldn't resist kissing her again.
This had the potential to spiral out of control to a point where we didn't eat until much later.
Her hand came to my wrist, her finger stroking over my pulse, which was racing. "I thought you wanted to eat first."
My jaw tightened with the effort to keep myself in check. "You're making that impossible."
Her lower lip protruded into a pout. "I'm hungry."
I almost asked if she was hungry for my dick, but her stomach rumbled. "You didn't eat lunch, did you?"
I knew her routines by now. She rarely had time to eat because she didn't like to close the store for long. If she was getting a makeover after work, then she hadn't had time for a snack.
"I grabbed coffee with Clara, then didn't have time for another break."
"Food first." I forced myself to step away from her. The food was almost done; I just needed to mix the pasta with the shrimp and garlic-butter sauce. Once that was done, I plated it in two bowls and carried it to my table.
I'd spent the evening cleaning and had pulled the table out from the wall so it looked like I used it. I normally ate at the counter or on the couch. It was depressing to constantly eat by yourself, but that was the life of a bachelor.
"This looks delicious."
"You look delicious." Her startled gaze flew to mine.
"Eat." I wanted to tell her that she was dessert, but that probably wasn't appropriate dinner conversation. I stiffened, wondering if I was doing this right. Maybe I should have bought her flowers or put a candle in the middle of the table for ambiance.
Her hand covered mine. "Relax."
I forced my muscles to loosen and twirled the pasta on my fork.
When she took her first bite, her eyes closed in pleasure. "Mmm. This is delicious."
"It's fairly easy to make. Boil pasta, and melt some garlic in butter. Grill the mushrooms and shrimp."
Her eyes fluttered open. "It's very good. Thank you for cooking for me."
Warmth bloomed in my chest. "You're welcome."
To keep my mind off her body and those red lips, I asked, "How was business today?"
"Steady. I still want to encourage more groups to use the space. But that will come naturally once I expand."
Once the work was done, I wouldn't see her every day. Would that mean the end of us? I was getting ahead of myself. This was my second chance at a first date. "This is nothing like our first date would have been."
"Had you planned to take me anywhere? Or did you decide from the start that it wasn't going to happen?" Pain crossed her face, and she shook her head. "Never mind."
"I had plans for us that night. I was going to take you to a movie and then ice cream. I was nervous about kissing you.”
She tipped her head to the side. "But we'd already kissed."
"There's more pressure at the end of the night. Would your parents be watching?"
"That sounds like it would have been a nice first date."
"I wish I'd taken you out back then."
Her brows stitched. "We might not be here now though. And maybe this is our time."
"I like that." I liked everything about tonight. The way she'd been unsure about her outfit, worried it was too much. That she'd taken the time to dress up. That she wanted to look sexy.
She was doing everything right and setting things up as if she wanted me. And that was a heady feeling.
We finished eating, talking about different date options.
She mentioned that she liked going out to dinner because she didn't do it often as a single woman.
But that she also liked exploring things in the area: hiking trails, museums, and festivals.
It was just like Ford had said. We'd get to know each other, and I'd know what she wanted for future dates.
I intended to do all of it. I wanted to be the man she deserved.
When she finished eating, I refilled her wine glass, and we talked about our businesses for a bit longer.
It was actually nice to talk to someone who was interested in the same things I was.
We sold very different things, but the business-owner stress was similar.
We both wanted our businesses to be successful.
I stood to clean up the dishes, and when she rose, I said, "No. Sit. I want to take care of you."
Her breath caught. "Thank you."
I cleaned the plates, pots, and pans. When I was done, I asked, "Do you want to watch a movie?"
I hadn't thought this far ahead, and I'd been wanting to remove those clothes since she arrived.
Instead of answering, her hand curled around my neck, and she pulled my lips down to meet hers. This time, there was no holding back. My tongue swept into her mouth, and I lifted her so that her legs wrapped around my waist, her heels digging into the backs of my thighs.
She tasted like wine and butter, and I wanted to devour her.
I carried her upstairs to my bedroom and lowered her to the comforter. She watched me as I removed my shirt and unbuckled my jeans to ease the pressure against my dick. Then I set one knee on the bed and moved over her. With a hand braced by her head, I kissed her, slowly and deeply.
I never wanted this moment to stop. I wanted it to go on and on forever. Her hands moved over my chest, pressing her palm against my heart, pausing.
Could she feel how hard my heart was beating?
The moment was heated, but there was a tenderness for her curling around my chest. I wanted more than her body. I wanted to possess her heart too. I wanted her mind consumed with thoughts of me.
When she read a sexy scene in a book, I wanted her to imagine she was with me. I wanted so much more.
When her hand drifted lower and she cupped my dick through my jeans, I stilled. "Not yet."
Her eyes narrowed.
I lifted her top and tank to find her bare. No bra separated me from her tits. I cupped one, and sucked on the other, pressing my dick against her center.
She whimpered, and her fingers tangled in my hair at the base of my neck. Everywhere she touched lit a blaze that burned through my body. It wasn't enough.
She lifted up, and I helped her remove her shirt. Then I moved lower, kissing her stomach, and unbuckling her jeans.
It took a minute to slide them over her hips and down. She wore panties held on with a string at her hips. I breathed in her desire as I settled between her legs.
"I love these panties." With one pull, they fell away. My heart rate kicked up when I realized she was completely bare, no landing strip, no neat trim. Just smooth skin. I was so lost in the moment the other night at her shop that it hadn't registered. Either that or she'd since shaved.
She would be my undoing.
I hesitated. "I want to taste you."
She nodded jerkily. "Yes."
Her plea only made me harder, but I needed to make her feel good first. I spread her legs, then separated her folds, her pussy glistening, her thighs trembling. She wanted me.
I breathed in her sweet scent, then licked her. Her hips bucked off the bed, and I rested an arm over her pelvis. I wanted her at my mercy.
"Mav—"
That's what she called me when we were teens, and when she'd tried to call me that the first day in the bookstore, I'd told her not to. But now? I wanted to hear the endearment on her lips.
No one else bothered to shorten my name. It was just for her and me.
I lifted my head slightly. "You need more?"
"Yes."
This time I used more pressure and added a finger, entering her pussy and fucking it like I would do later with my dick. I wanted her desperate for more.
"Don't stop."
I wasn't planning on stopping. I was going to draw this out as long as possible. When she was dripping wet, I added a second finger and sucked on her clit. Her thighs closed around my ears, and she cried out.
Her fingers tore at my hair, but I didn't let up. I rode out her orgasm and then wiped my face.
I shucked my jeans, snagging the condom I'd placed there earlier. I wasn't sure if we'd make it to the bedroom.
I smoothed the rubber over my length, taking a moment to look at her. Her hair covered my pillow, her legs spread wide, her muscles loose.
Her eyelids were heavy as she reached for me. "I want to feel you inside me."
I moved toward her, kneeling between her legs. "I didn't realize you were a dirty talker."
Her eyes flashed with a challenge. "There's a lot you don't know about me."
"I'm looking forward to discovering every inch of you." I rubbed the head between her folds, and she bit her lip at the intrusion.
I intended to fulfill her every need.
I braced my hands on either side of her head and kissed her. Then I slowly entered her, inch by glorious inch. I let out a breath, my heart full. I couldn't believe I was here with her now. Inside her. Nothing had ever felt better.
As I began to move, I realized that I felt closer to her. There was more to sex than a physical release. She was sharing herself with me, and I was doing the same.
We were vulnerable, opening ourselves to be hurt. But hopeful that it would all work out.
The orgasm formed at the base of my spine, and I switched to pure instinct. Thrust. Suck on her nipple. Move. Make her feel good.
My vision was narrowing to her and the sensation of her walls surrounding me. I adjusted her position so that I hit that bundle of nerves.
And when she bit her lip hard, I knew I'd found it. I moved with more force, needing her to get there before me.
"I'm going to—" Her voice broke off as her body arched off the bed, and then she was trembling, the orgasm shooting through her. I moved through her spasms, chasing the release that I'd been holding back.
And when it erupted, I rested my forehead on hers. When I gathered my wits, I rolled to the side, removed the condom, tied it off, and tossed it toward the waste basket.
Then I pulled her on top of me. There was something about having a naked woman's body against mine. No, not any woman's body. Belle's. I stroked her hair.
She was it for me. I'd been running from her all my life, and I was done doing that. I was going to stay in place and let her catch me. Let her devour me. Because I was helpless against her onslaught.