Chapter 22
Twenty-Two
Smack!
Lucy discreetly slaps her thigh, bunching up her long skirt to reveal an irritated stretch of skin where a spot is beginning to bubble up.
The sound isn’t loud enough for anyone to hear over Mike’s presentation, but since she’s sitting right next to me—and my attention is already on her, dreaming of the way her lips would look wrapped around me instead of her pen—the action snaps me from my daydreams.
As she scratches, more spots bloom around the area, and she frantically reaches for the protein shake she brought into the conference room.
After checking to ensure no one is paying attention to us, I slip my hand beneath the table, reaching over to gently push her hand away from the patch of aggravated skin.
Giving her a look that silently tells her she’s making it worse, I rub my thumb along the area with long, deep strokes, trying to suppress the itchy feeling without spreading the hives.
Her beautiful eyes fill with gratitude, then mischief, as my hand roams higher.
She releases her skirt, trying to prevent me from going any further, as she nervously looks around the room.
Instead of removing my hand, I capture her fingers, tangling them with mine to rest on her thigh as I flash her a warm smile.
It’s been nearly a week since we returned from the conference, and I can’t keep my hands off her. Days of berating myself for waiting so long—for denying us the immeasurable pleasure we’ve brought each other every second we can get alone.
Every single night I fuck her into exhaustion, and when she’s fallen asleep, I go home to my fatherly duties.
I’ve had Lucy on every surface of her apartment and every inch of my office at work.
The pharmacy down the street from her place has made enough money from the amount of condoms I’ve been buying to fund their rent for at least a month.
With the exception of that first night, I haven’t had her bare again.
Birth control is only so reliable, and my kids are nearly grown.
So, we’ve shelved difficult discussions for a later day.
That conversation would only highlight how she’s always wanted to be a mom and how it would be weird for me to have more kids so late in life.
Not to mention, I’d be impregnating my son’s ex-girlfriend.
For now, we’re focused on enjoying our time and making up for lost time.
As Mike brings his presentation to a close, we untangle our fingers and gather our things.
If anyone wonders what happens between us when I close my office door, they do a good job of keeping the gossip from reaching our ears because it seems like no one has caught on to the fact that my open-door policy has been rescinded.
“Lawson!” Lucy whispers as soon as the door clicks shut behind me. “We can’t keep doing things like that in public. Someone is going to see!”
“It’s not my fault you parade around in these damn outfits.” I gesture to the blue and purple gradient-colored maxi dress that hugs her curves, before grabbing her hips. “Come here.”
She doesn’t argue as I sit in my chair and position her in front of me, sliding her dress up to expose her thigh once more. I grab a tube of hydrocortisone cream from my bottom desk drawer. As soon as I saw her have that first outbreak, I bought some and stored it away for times like this.
“I thought you liked my outfits?” she teases with a smirk. “In fact, I remember you picking out this specific dress and laying it out for me before you left last night.” She nudges her foot forward, the toe of her bright pink pump rubbing against my semi-hard cock.
As she stands there, foot hitched up with the smooth expanse of one leg exposed and her hair hanging in full waves over one shoulder, I realize that there is absolutely nothing I wouldn’t do for this woman.
Lucy Bradee has me bewitched, body, mind, and soul.
And now that she’s captured me, I fear that even if she tries to cut me loose, I will remain tied to her for the rest of my life.
Smoothing the balm over her skin, I lean forward and press a kiss to the inside of her knee.
“I adore your outfits.” Another kiss. “And the sexy little things you wear beneath them.” Pushing her skirt further up, I reveal a periwinkle scrap of lace, letting out a groan when I see the spot over her center is already wet with need.
“Lawson.” Her voice is raw as she tangles her fingers in my hair when I make my mission clear. I maneuver her foot to the chair and drop to my knees. “Anyone could walk in.”
“Then you’d better come quickly, rainbow.” Cupping her ass, I pull her underwear to the side and sink my tongue into the depths of her warm, wet heat.
“Oh, fuck.” She shoves a palm against her mouth to stifle a cry as I suck her clit and eat her like a starved man. When I plunge two fingers in deep, using the hand on her ass to rock her against my face, it only takes seconds before she comes with a strangled moan.
I love watching the pure pleasure she gets from me. It has my chest humming with pride, knowing it’s me making her feel that way. I lick up every last drop she gives me before pulling her skirt back down.
“You’re insatiable,” she breathes, smoothing my hair back as she stares at me affectionately.
Wiping my mouth of her glistening release, I rise to lay a chaste kiss against her lips. “I have a lot of time to make up for.”
Voices sound just outside my door, and we spring apart. Lucy goes to the other side of my desk as I sit back in my chair.
“River is going to his mom’s tonight. He’ll be gone for a week.”
Lucy’s cheeks turn a deeper pink than the already flushed hue from her afternoon delight. “Oh?”
“I was thinking… if filming is still something you think you might be interested in, it will be the perfect time for it.” I rub my thumb along my lower lip, feeling the wetness left over and smelling the intoxicating scent that is uniquely her.
To my pleasure, she nods eagerly. “Yes.” Her voice is breathy, needy once more, and filled with a hunger I wonder if we’ll ever satiate. “If that’s what you want, I’ll do it.”
“I want you to do it because you want to, Lucy. Not because it’s something I want. It’s important to me that you know that.”
She smiles, and goddamn, if it’s not the most breathtaking thing I’ve ever seen when Lucy lights up like the rainbow she is. “I know. I want to. It sounds… hot , from the way you’ve described it.”
Something indescribable takes root in my chest at the thought of having her in a way no other man has before. Of giving her a first experience—hopefully, the first of many more to come.
“River has to be at the airport at six. Why don’t you come over tonight around seven thirty? Bring a bag, and stay the night. I can drop you off around the block if you’re worried about someone seeing us arriving together tomorrow morning.”
Her eyes warm, the hazel turning to a brighter shade of gold-flecked moss as she nods. “Okay.”
“Okay.”
Her fingers twist together nervously. “Should I, uh… should I bring anything specific?”
Shaking my head, I drag my eyes over her body shamelessly, imagining what every inch of skin will look like, bare and at my mercy tonight. “No. I have everything I need. I’ll cook you dinner. Does salmon sound good?”
“Mmhmm,” she hums as she opens the door. “That sounds great.”
Lucy
Returning to the Morgans’ home is like walking into a fever dream.
Nearly everything is as I remember it, with the exception of a few added photo frames on the walls—pictures of Lawson with River in New York and Rhys with Charlotte at Ole Miss games.
It doesn’t look like there’s been one with all four of them since graduation day.
I follow the scent of pan-fried salmon to the kitchen. There’s an undercurrent of my favorite cookies wafting through the house as I refamiliarize myself with the space I spent so much time in during my senior year.
“Lawson Morgan, did you make me cookies?” I singsong in my best Southern accent as I step into the kitchen to see him doing a million things at once at the stove. He’s changed into dark gray joggers with a tight black t-shirt, making my mouth water at the sight of his rippling muscles.
“Maybe.” He smirks and leans over for a quick kiss before resuming his cooking. “But you only get them if you’re a good girl tonight.”
Quickly, I reach around him and pluck an asparagus off the broiler pan. “Hey!” He swats at my hand with a black spatula. “Not off to a good start there, rainbow.”
Lemony, buttery goodness floods my mouth as I bite off the end of the stalk.
“Mmmm. God, I missed your cooking. My parents are great, don’t get me wrong, but I always loved having dinner over here.
” Muscle memory takes me to the cabinet, and I fill a glass with crushed ice and water from the fridge dispenser.
“I’ll cook for you every night while River’s gone if you want a staycation.”
It’s such a casual suggestion that it catches me a little off guard. I choke on my bite, taking a moment to clear my throat before I’m able to swallow correctly. “You mean, like, move in for the week?”
“Yeah. Only if you want to, though.” He sounds a little more unsure than he did just a few seconds ago.
I’m silent for a while. I didn’t really think about where we’d be sleeping tonight. I assume in his room, in his bed—a bed he shared with Charlotte for years. Suddenly, I don’t feel the giddy excitement that I’ve had since we made our plans this afternoon.
As if he can sense the direction of my thoughts, Lawson looks at me over his shoulder. “I haven’t slept in Charlotte’s room in years. I sleep in one of the guest bedrooms, even when she’s in Florida.”