19. Learn Quickly
LEARN QUICKLY
“Oh my God,” she squealed loud enough that Baker’s hands went to his ears. “We are going to Whitewater Center.”
“We are,” he said on the drive to their destination. She’d been waiting for him to finally say what their date was going to be.
For her, she would have been just as happy to have dinner and the night back at her place with the bottle of strawberry daiquiri that he grabbed for her.
“How did you guess I’ve been dying to do something there? What is it? Not the white rapids. You would have told me to put a bathing suit on.”
“Maybe I’m just good at guessing,” he said, turning his head to look at her while he drove. One hand was leisurely on the wheel though she knew he had complete control of everything around him.
Including her emotions it seemed.
Maybe her mother was right, not that she’d admit it to her face.
That she should lean into this more.
To give it a greater chance than she was.
But she thought she was doing a damn good job of opening up and having fun.
Not that Baker was pushing for more.
Though she had to remind herself that he’d said the ball was in her court.
She just wasn’t so good at dribbling, but she was going to learn quickly.
“Or you asked Margo. You did, didn’t you?”
Margo was the only one who knew that she had wanted to come here. A place no other man had brought her to before.
“Guilty. You said she knew about us so I didn’t think it was a huge deal. She said she’d keep it quiet.”
“She will.” Her hand reached over and landed on his lap, her fingers rubbing his thighs. She wanted to inch it up higher, but they’d get to that later tonight.
“I hope you’re not afraid of heights. She said you weren’t, but I took a risk.”
“It’s zipline and dine!!!” she yelled loud enough that she even hurt her own ears.
“Wow. Do you get that loud yelling at your kids in class?”
She laughed. “I never scream like that in class. I only get really loud when I’m excited and happy.”
“You yelled last Friday,” he teased.
“Again, excited and happy,” she said, patting his leg, then dropping her hand away. “This is the best date ever. I mean it. You didn’t need to do it though.”
“I’ve wanted to try it myself. It’s eight courses, then we get dinner. I could have just done dinner, but thought I’d do something different.”
“I’m so glad you did. Normally, dinner is about all I do.”
Even when she was in a relationship with a man, they never wanted to do some things she did. Not the concerts she liked because her music was different. Not outdoor activities because most of the men weren’t coordinated.
“I think it’s just easy. Not everything has to be easy, but it shouldn’t be hard either.”
She felt as if there was a double meaning there.
But the words hit home just the same.
“I told my mother about you.”
“You did?” he asked, his voice more surprised than she anticipated. Maybe she had been wrong all along.
She shrugged, but he couldn’t see her, as he was focused on the road, so she tried to make her tone as nonchalant as she could.
“She asked if I had a date. I don’t normally ask them to watch Micah. The last time was a few weeks ago and I was going to cancel, but they really wanted to spend the time with him.”
“I don’t care that they know. I guess I could be honest and say my sister knows.”
Interesting. “Since when?”
“Brittany called me earlier in the week. Just a conversation about my parents again, but then she asked what was going on with me. I guess the words slipped out before I could bring them back in.”
There was no stopping the smile from filling her face. “That happened with me too. Then my mother wanted to know if this was one of those Jolene things.”
“Did you tell her?”
“I did. There was no reason to hide it. The next time she sees Margo it might come up.”
“Brittany asked me the same. I’ve brought up Jolene’s hobby in the past and that she’d been trying to pin me down for years.”
Which made her think of what she’d said to her mother. That maybe there were failures in Jolene’s past and no one ever heard of it because people didn’t start dating.
“Has she brought other names up to you in the past?” she asked.
“No. She didn’t even bring your name up to me,” he said drily.
“I forgot, that isn’t really her way anymore.”
“She’s done it now and again, but not often,” he said. “And speaking of Jolene. I saw her when I went to get the bottle. She put things together.”
Her head whipped towards his. “So she knows?”
“No. I played it off. Or I played with her like she does with everyone else. You should know that she might try you next. Especially since you only have a few weeks left of working.”
“I’ll be prepared for it,” she said. She debated saying more from her parents’ conversation. It wasn’t really the time to bring up they’d like to meet him.
“What aren’t you saying?”
“What?”
“I can feel your eyes on me and you’re not talking. Or you’re holding something in. Just say it.”
Guess she wasn’t doing as good of a job with things as she’d done in the past. “My mother mentioned meeting you at some point. I said we are nowhere near there. This was only the third date we’ve had without Micah around.”
This time he was silent. As if he were processing what that might mean.
“What was her response?”
“Not much. I’ve perfected keeping my personal life private from my parents for years. Even before Micah. Guess it’s just the way I’ve always been.”
“Why are you that way?” he asked. It sounded more curious than judgmental.
“I think it’s because I’ve had such horrible luck with men and I’d get my hopes up and the minute I did, something would happen. I got sick of saying I was seeing someone and then nothing came about from it. So I learned to not say anything unless it was several months in.”
Which was why her parents didn’t know about Shane. Or didn’t know his name or how they met.
“You go months dating someone with no one knowing?” he asked. “What if the person was a creep or serial killer? I get not telling your parents, but does Margo at least know?”
Her bottom lip came out. “That’s really sweet. I bet you’re a great big brother and son.”
“I try to be for my sister. My mother doesn’t seem to get it, but that is her life.”
She didn’t want to drag their date down by asking about his parents’ relationship when she already knew it wasn’t something he was thrilled with.
“Are you close with Brittany?”
“As close as I can be with her living six hours away. We text more than talk, but I’ll always take her calls.”
“You never really said why you moved here.”
“For the job.”
It was just said so cleanly that it left no room for her to ask more.
She had to tell herself to dial it back because the more she asked, the more he’d feel as if he could also.
“That’s it right there,” she said, pointing. “Look at how high up those ziplines are. Holy cow.”
“Having second thoughts about this?” he asked, looking at her, concerned.
“No way. I can’t wait and then I can tell my students about it in a few weeks and they can think I’m cool and not lame.”
And thirty minutes later, when she was screaming loud enough to echo off the trees, she was positive she didn’t wet herself as she sailed through the air, her hands out wide, feeling freedom that had escaped her for so long.
Baker was ahead of her, turning his head to look over. She could see his smile and hear his laughter.
“This was the best date ever!” she said, jumping into his arms after the last line. “I’m just sorry it’s over with, but I’m starving.”
“The menu is a variety of sample type snacky foods.”
“Perfect,” she said, leaning into him, her lips on his ear. “Because I don’t want to overstuff myself for the surprise I’ve got for you later.”
“Me?” he asked, his arm snaking around her waist and pulling her close, his lips landing on hers. “Why am I just hearing about this now?”
“Because if I told you earlier then you might not have taken me here and instead brought me right back to my place.”
He growled in her ear, then whispered, “Keep that up and you might miss dinner.”
“Not happening,” she said. “But I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”
“Tell me the surprise,” he said over an hour later when they pulled into her place.
He’d been good about not asking again. And she’d been great about not teasing him even though she wanted to.
Sometimes the unspoken was more than enough.
“I’ll show you instead.”
She opened the door to his SUV and stepped out, unlocking her front door with the awareness of Baker right behind her, his overnight bag slung over his shoulder.
Her neighbors would see, and she didn’t care.
Let them talk. She had nothing to hide. Baker had been here plenty of nights after Micah went to bed, and after tonight, maybe tomorrow, it would be time to talk to him about Micah. About what the next step looked like.
About whether he wanted one at all.
If he didn’t…she’d have to accept that going further wasn’t fair to either of them.
They’d said this thing between them was supposed to be simple. Just a head start, no strings.
Yet here she was, mentally wrapping the man in a bow.
He followed her to the bedroom, setting his bag on the floor. When he stepped toward her, she slipped away from his reach and ducked into the bathroom, closing the door gently behind her.
She needed a second. To breathe. To steady herself. To slip into the little surprise she’d been saving.
The black silk teddy slid over her skin like water.
She glanced over her shoulder in the mirror, eyeing the thin string disappearing between her cheeks.
She wasn’t usually a thong girl, but Baker had a way of looking at her ass, touching, grabbing, sometimes giving a playful smack. That made her want to show it off.
She used to think it was bigger than it should be, especially after Micah, when things had gotten rounder and softer. That was when she started toning up, working the worry off her body.
Now, as she turned in the light, she had to admit something she’d never quite said aloud: She was in the best shape she’d ever been.
Strong, soft, confident.
And for the first time in a long time she felt beautiful.
She wanted the man who was carving a space into her life to know he was bringing it out of her.
When she opened the door, he was sitting on the edge of her bed, his socks and sneakers off, his shirt with it. The shirt that she’d joked was made for him and she was glad he’d slipped it on today to give her a nice mental tease.
That what she was doing for him, he was doing right back to her.
If it was supposed to be easy sex—just something the two of them used the other for— neither would take this step. They wouldn’t need to.
“Damn,” he said, the word sliding off into space as his eyes tried to see through the material. “You know my weakness.”
She turned and wiggled her butt, her skin moving more than she wanted, but his eyes showed his appreciation.
“Do you like it?”
He stood up, his hand out, his eyes still on her. This time on her face. His gaze matched hers. “If you look down you’ll know how I feel.”
She lowered her eyes, saw his cock straining at his shorts.
“Exactly what I wanted to happen.” She moved into his arms, letting herself be held for an instant. A sign of vulnerability, a show of softness.
It didn’t always have to be rushed.
But since it was the second time, she didn’t know if that was how he was anyway.
“Is this night for you?” he asked. “Your way and I have to just let you enjoy it?”
If the humor hadn’t been in his voice, she wouldn’t have known how to respond. But he was teasing her as much as she was tempting him.
“I want us both to enjoy it,” she said, giving him a little shove toward the bed.
He took a few steps back, but before he could sit, she was undoing his shorts and dropping his remaining clothes to the floor.
Rather than nudge him back to sitting on the bed, she dropped to her knees in front of him, wrapped his cock in her hand, and lowered her mouth.
Just a taste. A nibble. A few licks.
He wouldn’t let her have her way last week. She got it. She was so worked up, right along with him, that they both needed to get off.
But tonight could be about slow and leisurely pleasuring the other.
A nighttime marathon that she’d never had with another man and always wanted.
She finally had a man she could have that with, she was positive.
“If you do that too long I’m not going to be able to last.”
“We’ve got the entire night ahead of us,” she said, her mouth opening and closing over him. She went down once, up, then down again.
She pulled her cheeks in to suck a little harder, then bobbed down and returned to the tip, sucking up any escaping moisture. It was salty and silky.
His fingers found their way into her hair the same way she was holding his the last time.
Only this time rather than keep her in place, he yanked her right off.
She looked up. His eyes were dark. They were heavy. They were telling her he was a man with not a lot of control right now.
“Next time,” he said. “Later. Right now I need to see that ass of yours.”
He pulled her up, swung her around, his hands slapping each cheek and squeezing, his lips landing on one side and then the other.
“If that is the view you want, you should have said so.”
She turned and moved toward the bed next to him, put one knee up, then the other, getting on all fours.
Her butt swayed side to side, a flag in front of him. One to surrender. To let him know she was all his for the taking.
He didn’t hesitate to grab a condom out of the box by her bedside, cover himself quickly, then position himself behind her.
His fingers found her wetness, they slid inside, made sure she was more than ready for him. Then he lined up and sank in fast, shifting the string out of the way and gripping her hips like they were his anchor.
Like he had to hold her down, in place, and let her know who was boss.
Yes, please!
A powerful man taking her the way she’d dreamed of. Making her feel safe and secure at the same time.
Any day of the week and twice on Sunday! More than twice if she had her way!
He slammed in and out, he let her body build, he made her lose her balance and end up on her elbows, allowing him to go deeper and harder yet.
She felt the tightness still inside. Another angle. Another thrust. She wanted to grip him inside of her and never let go.
“Touch yourself,” he demanded. “I’m fucking right there. Get there with me.”
She didn’t hesitate to do as he said. To put her middle finger on her swollen bud and swirl it around while he continued to dominate her like she always wanted from a man.
And when she felt herself coming, when the silk of the teddy was falling away where he’d ripped the string in his haste and movements, she heard him shout right along with her.
Then he collapsed on her back and rolled fast.
Holding her tight and protecting her at the same time as their pulsing mixed together as one.
What should have been joy had tears filling her eyes and no way she could bring them back.