Chapter 17 #2
He puts his warm hands on my hips again, only this time, there’s no fabric between our skin.
Slowly, he lowers to a squat and sets a knee on the floor.
Hooking his fingers around the underwear, he doesn’t drag them down.
Instead, he traces the hem, skimming around my thighs until he hits the juncture.
“Spread your legs, Prescott, and let me in.”
My stomach clenches, but I do what he says. I won’t disobey and risk losing the heat simmering in his eyes. He pulls the damp fabric to the side, framing my pussy with his hands. All I can see is my chest heaving up and down, the swell of my belly, and then his hungry gaze .
“There it is. So fucking wet and sweet.” He swoops in and licks right to my clit.
“Haven!” I don’t have to be quiet, but the pleasure coursing through me is building with so much energy, I might bring the neighbors running from miles away.
He strokes perfect circles with his tongue, sucking at intervals that rob all the strength from my legs. As if sensing my growing weakness, he wedges his shoulders between my thighs. A foot lifts off the ground, but he’s supporting me.
I thrust my hips into him. Desire’s building inside me like a thundercloud. The lightning’s going to stop my heart, but I can’t slow this down. The teaser on the front porch left me with an obsession for finding out how much more he has to give.
As I’m rocking, the saddle stand is creaking. The leather of the saddle is rough but soft against my butt, and it’s like having him brushing his hands all over my backside. It only heightens the sensation of what he’s doing to me.
The storm inside me starts to swirl. “Haven.” Am I begging him? Warning him of an explosion? Stating a fact?
He replaces his tongue with his thumb and pushes two fingers inside me. “Look at you.”
A ragged gasp leaves me at the fullness. I miss his mouth, but he’s inside me and still making those thought-stealing circles. I tip my head back and roll my hips into his touch.
“Am I going to see you with your hair down one day?” he asks roughly. “Buck fucking naked and open for me?”
Will it keep him doing this? “Yes.”
A satisfied grunt leaves him, and his tongue is back on me. He thrusts his fingers in and out of me .
I implode without warning. Energy bursts outward, and I stiffen, yanking at the saddle. Then I shake from head to toe as I weather the onslaught. “Oh god—yes!”
He doesn’t let up until I release my purchase, and our whole situation starts to topple. His strong arms wrap around my legs. The saddle stand rocks back into place until it finally comes to a stop, still upright.
“You good?” he asks, but he doesn’t let go of me.
“Yes.” So good. I’m panting, and the aftershocks are still rolling through me, but I don’t want to move.
He’s on a knee in front of me. My traitorous mind paints a whole new picture.
We’re outside, with the rolling green hills and the backdrop of the mountains behind him.
He’s still on a knee, only the look in his eye has more yearning.
It’s filled with desire of a different sort. And in his hand is a little velvet box.
No. That’s not happening, and that’s what’s dangerous with messing around. I’m going to catch feelings. I can deal with those. I will deal with those, and these foolish little dreams that pop into my head.
Inside my heart, a cord is pulled tight. I need to leave. I take hold of the saddle again and lift my leg down. “So. I have that meeting to get to.”
If he senses my inner conflict, he doesn’t let me scurry away. He rests his forehead on my abdomen. “I’m gonna need a minute after that spectacular show,” he murmurs.
Pride blooms inside me, but I did nothing to earn it. I’m trying to run out on him, and he’s only been generous. “I should, uh, get cleaned up before I go to the bakery.”
I smell like sex and faintly of horse sweat.
He skims his hands up and down the backs of my thighs. The picture we make is still sexy, but my heart warms regardless. This is dangerously close to cuddling after sex.
The back of my throat gets thick. This. This looks too much like what I want. Still, I push my hands into his hair.
“I’ve gotta get you cleaned up.”
Panic wells to the top. However that would happen sounds even more intimate. “No, it’s fine.”
He sits back on a heel and smirks. “If you insist on being in a hurry…” He reaches behind him and yanks his shirt over his head.
“Oh, don’t…” Once his abs come into view, I have no self-respect. Take that damn shirt all the way off. “Nice.”
His sexy smirk tempts me to stay as naked as possible around this man. His stomach is crinkled by his position, but it doesn’t diminish the effect. His pecs ripple as he sticks his hand inside his shirt. I jump when he starts to wipe me down.
Embarrassment flames in my cheeks. “Did I make a mess?”
“ We made a mess.” His grin widens. “In the best way.”
“But you didn’t…” I’m the queen of unfinished sentences. Twice now, he’s gotten me off with no release for himself. “We’re two and oh.”
“It ain’t like that. I got plenty of pleasure.” He straightens, letting out a little groan. Giving his head a little shake, he chuckles. “But maybe next time I don’t kneel on a hard floor. I’m feeling every one of my nearly forty years.”
“Oh, crap. My age limit is thirty-five.”
He picks my shorts up off the other saddle he draped them on. “Not for you, Red. An older guy is like aged whiskey. Bolder, richer, and strong enough to shoot down in one swallow.”
I park in front of the old brick library. It’s a good size for a town the size of Huckleberry Springs. Yesterday, I had my meeting with Clem, and she invited me out today to make a plan.
The place closed a half hour ago, and Clem thought it’d be easier if I could do a walk-through.
The library director wants custom headshots for each employee, and then the library is sponsoring a photo shoot for the local rescue and the animals that are in the jail’s pound.
There weren’t many, but they hoped that fun photos would find the critters homes faster than a picture in a cage.
Now I don’t feel so irresponsible for not calling the rescue. Like the rest, they are bursting at the seams.
The pay they offered would help me with a down payment on my own place. Whenever I move…or find a job.
Clem opens the library door and waves. “Come on in.”
I go inside and inhale the smell of books.
Clem clasps her hands and lets me take in the small space.
Her hair’s done in two rows of neat French braids, and she’s wearing bold red shorts with a white shirt and navy boat shoes.
She looks like she’s about to leave for a second job working on a yacht, but it suits her.
She gives me a whirlwind tour of the fiction and nonfiction sections, the small sitting area with a few tables and chairs, along with just as many computers, then the new wing that houses the meeting room and the children’s section. The large windows make my decision easy.
“I think the light is better in here.” The large picture windows and the skylight give it life. “I don’t have much of my old equipment, but I can do the shoot in the afternoon. That’ll be the best.”
“How about the animals? Will you be able to photograph them?” She rises to her tiptoes like she’s on the brink of begging. I didn’t want to commit until I knew I could earn the paycheck.
“I can do that in my sleep.”
“Aren’t animals harder?”
I tip my head from side to side. I’m boasting just a little. Buford was an older rescue, and he didn’t have the energy of the kittens or Meadow. My camera phone shots of them turned out just fine. “Depends who we’re talking about. My first job included going to day cares and preschools.”
Clem grimaces. “Like hitting a moving target?”
“Wiggling, crying, distracted—take your pick. Animals can be a challenge, but I miss it.”
“He was such a sweetie. It was clear how much you cared for him.” She folds her arms, uncertainty playing across her face. “Do you mind me asking?—”
“Why I didn’t start over with a new cat?” I smile to let her know her question doesn’t diminish how much my cat meant to me. “I thought about it a lot, but, uh, it was clear that I needed an animal to continue posting.”
“That can’t be true.” She inspects my face and sighs. “Sorry. I know online stuff is like a popularity contest.”
How’d she understand so quickly? “Do you do some influencing?”
“No, but I have to post stuff for my other job.”
“Foster House?”
She shakes her head. “My books.” She glances around like she’s going to get busted. Just what does she write? “ But I always feel like I’m on the outside looking in, you know?”
I know all too well. “It’s like a glass house, and everyone’s having a party. You were invited, but no one will let you inside.”
Relief fills her eyes. “No kidding.”
“You could add a cat to your books,” I joke. Shit. Did I just insult her work?
She laughs. “I always forget to add pets to my books.” Snapping her fingers, she looks around. “Where’s my phone? I told Ellie I’d ask if she could get your number.”
That name is familiar. Her name in my dad’s voice runs through my head, reminding me. “She does senior photos?”
“Yes, she does everyone’s photos in Huckleberry Springs. She was telling me how overwhelmed she is, and I mentioned that maybe you were hanging a shingle.”
“Oh, I haven’t thought about it.” I have thought about it. A lot. “Probably not in Huckleberry Springs.”
Interest infuses her eyes, but she doesn’t reply. Is she waiting for me to elaborate?
I’ve only talked to Clem a few times, but it’s not like I have a pool of friends to chat with. Haven would listen, but I’ve been keeping my distance from him. Except the times I let him get up close and personal.
“I’m not sure how well I can build a client base.” There. That didn’t sound like I hold a grudge based on population size.
“That’s too bad. We could use someone with your skills in the area.”