Chapter 7
Darcy hadn’t planned to move forward physically, but she had genuinely been helpless to stop herself from kissing him and asking for more.
More of everything. More of him.
Their hands bumped as they reached for each other’s clothes, and then his calloused fingers were pulling the zipper of her dress down.
She managed to get his shirt off, sliding the smooth silk off his broad shoulders, her fingertips tracing the muscles that flexed as he lowered her dress off her shoulders and down her arms.
He kissed her like he couldn’t get enough of her, and she felt the same way.
Their tongues danced together, sliding and tasting, as she pulled her arms free from the dress and reached for him again. He slid from the couch to his knees and hooked his thumbs in the dress pooled at her waist.
Time froze for a moment, and then she lifted her hips and settled back against the couch. He worked the dress over her hips, pulling her panties off with it and dropping it to the floor as her shoes hit the ground with soft thuds.
He pushed her legs apart and moved between them, leaning up to kiss her lips and then moving down her neck with little kisses and licks.
He cupped her bottom and pulled her closer to the edge of the couch as he made his way down to her breasts, sucking gently on her nipples until they were tight and aching in just the right way.
He moved his hands along the backs of her legs, then slid them up over her knees, delving his way to the apex of her thighs as she shivered in anticipation. She played with his soft, short hair, her fingers sinking into the thick strands as she wiggled her hips to spread her legs farther apart.
She felt totally wanton, and totally wanted. Her heart and mind spinning with all the feelings for the sexy guy between her legs.
Two fingers slid inside her pussy, and she arched her back with a soft moan.
He grinned at her and kissed the tips of her breasts once more before making his way down her belly. With his free hand on her lower back, he pulled her ever closer to the edge of the couch. The coffee table scraped on the floor as he kicked it away to make room for himself.
To go down on her.
Something she could admit that she’d fantasized about him doing since she met him. His broad shoulders pushed her knees even farther apart, and she liked being laid bare to him. He gently pumped his fingers into her, his thumb touching her clit with the barest of movements.
She gripped his shoulders, and wiggled her hips, chasing more touches.
“Sexy female,” he said with a gruff voice.
“Ford,” she whispered, her toes curling. “Give me more.”
He made a soft, growling sound in his throat that she found wholly sexy, and then he lowered his head.
As his fingers continued to move in her, he licked her clit, flicking his tongue against her heated flesh.
He played with her, his tongue moving in wicked circles as she spiraled toward white-hot bliss.
She pulled her knee up to his shoulder and tilted her hips, taking his fingers deeper as his tongue hit just the right place on her sensitive bud.
She let out a sharp gasp and froze, right on the edge of climax.
“Yes, yes,” she moaned, her hands twisting his hair and anchoring him to her.
He played with that place, his fingers pumping even faster into her, until she crashed over the edge into the biggest climax she’d ever had.
She came hard, crying out his name, her back bowing as she lost her grip on his hair and slapped her hands on the couch cushions, nails digging into the soft material.
He lowered his zipper and moved back from the edge of the couch, freeing himself from his pants, then slid her off the couch and pulled her down onto his thick length.
As their bodies came together, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.
They didn’t move for an eternity, his cock throbbing inside her, stretching her blissfully tight.
And then he moved.
And she moved.
Their bodies separating and coming together as he held her easily with his hands on her bottom and she anchored herself with his shoulders, her toes curling against the cool hardwood.
Sweat beaded on their skin, heat and friction making her skin tingle and her belly clench. He held her so easily, lifting and lowering her in a fast rhythm. She kissed him wherever she could reach, nipping at his neck and holding herself close to him as they moved fast and hard together.
She’d never had two orgasms in a row, but she was certain she could if only…
Did she dare?
She’d definitely never touched herself while she was actually having sex with someone. Then again… no one had ever made her come as hard as Ford did. She wanted to feel it again. She was suddenly greedy for more pleasure with him, from him.
She put a finger in her mouth to lick it, then slid her hand between them, leaning back against the couch and moving her feet farther apart. He pounded into her, his hands digging into her hips as she rubbed her wet finger against her swollen clit.
He let out a harsh, “Hell yes, Darcy, take me with you.”
And she was happy to comply.
Closing her eyes, she rubbed her clit in just the right place, while Ford took her hard, hands in a bruising hold on her hips, and the whole world narrowed down to the two of them.
“Ford, Ford!” she shouted as she came, her body locking up in a tight spiral of pleasure that made stars light her vision. He called her name as he came, his cock thickening inside her, and heat filling her.
He pulled her close, still deep inside her, and held her. She rested her head on his shoulders as her body slowly came down from the heavens.
He shuddered slightly and kissed her. “That was amazing, Darcy. You’re amazing. I’ve never been with anyone who made me feel like you do.”
She hugged him back and sighed, very sure she had a dopey smile on her face. “It’s never been like this for me before either.”
She eased from him and they both groaned at the loss of contact.
Before she could even get to her feet, he’d swept her up into his arms and carried her to the bed that was tucked behind a privacy screen.
As they were plunged into darkness, Ford kissed her again and she found herself asking for more, and he willingly gave it.
More kisses, more touching, more everything.
Until she was as sated as she’d ever been, and falling hard for him.
* * *
Darcy loved every second of the time she’d spent with Ford, and she hated even the thought of leaving. But she had to work and so did he, and she couldn’t exactly show up at the hardware store in her little black dress looking like she’d been ridden hard and put away wet.
Which she had.
Ford was the best lover she’d ever had. She’d never been treated so well by any guy in bed. He’d made her feel cherished, and she hoped he had felt the same.
They were quiet as they dressed in the little barn apartment, neither of them seeming to want to say anything about having to leave each other after such a great night.
She found her phone on the kitchen counter, the battery dead, and tucked it into her purse. “Did you want some coffee?” Ford asked. “I can make us travel mugs.”
It was a little after four a.m. She actually hadn’t meant to fall asleep after she and Ford tumbled in the sheets, but she’d been unable to stop herself. He’d been so warm, his arms so strong around her.
She’d never slept so well.
“Hey, are you okay?” he asked, joining her in the kitchen.
“Yeah, I am, I’m just… I don’t want to make you think I’m being dramatic or clingy.”
“I don’t, I promise. Whatever you’re feeling, I’m feeling it too, I can assure you.”
There was a small light on in the kitchen that lent a soft glow to the space and she could see the earnest look on his face.
“Why do I feel so connected to you so fast? Why was last night the best night of my life?” she asked, feeling suddenly bold like she had when she initiated things between them on the couch. “Why do I feel like you’re mine already?”
She wasn’t sure she was even breathing.
But her heart was pounding like a drum.
Could time actually stand still?
It sure freaking felt like it.
Especially when she was staring up at the sexiest guy she’d ever met in her life.
He cupped her face, staring intently at her. “It was the best night of my life too. But every second since I met you has been amazing. You feel like I’m yours already because I feel like you’re mine. Because we were meant to meet each other at the park on Saturday. Because we’re soulmates.”
Soulmates.
Something settled over her, a rightness to the whole situation. She wrapped her hands around his wrists and went onto her toes to kiss him. It was soft and sweet, not the hungry, demanding kisses of the night before, when they couldn’t keep their hands off each other.
“You’re mine and I’m yours,” Ford said roughly when the kiss ended. “And I’ve never been happier.”
She hated that their time together had to end, when she was seriously eyeing the bed once more, but she helped him fix travel mugs of coffee for them, and then he drove her home. He walked her up to her apartment door and kissed her goodbye.
“Would you like to have lunch today?” he asked. “I can come to the hardware store and bring you lunch.”
“I only get a half hour,” she said. “But I’d love that. I take lunch at noon.”
“I’ll be there.”
One more kiss.
Okay, two more. Maybe three?
Yes. Four.
Then he was smiling that sexy smile he had, the one that made his eyes dance, and walking away once he saw her open the door to the apartment and step inside. She waved and shut the door, turning to lean against it with a deep, happy sigh.
A short-lived sigh, as it turned out.
“Where the hell have you been?” Cruz demanded.
She opened her eyes with a startled gasp, finding her brother standing in front of her, arms crossed and fury flashing in his eyes.
“Hi to you too.”
She walked past him to the kitchen and set her purse on the counter, then put the travel mug Cruz had given her—with the Little River Farm logo on it, of a galloping horse silhouette in a field of wheat—under the coffee maker and brewed another cup.
“Well?” Cruz demanded. “I woke up at two a.m. and realized you weren’t home, so I texted. When you didn’t answer, I called. It’s almost five a.m., Darcy.”
She took her time plugging her phone into the wall charger on the counter, then turned to face her brother.
“First of all, I’m a full-blown adult and you’re not my caretaker. And second, my phone died after I fell asleep. I was perfectly safe with Ford.”
More than safe. Deliriously happy. Stunningly content.
All the good adjectives to describe how being with him made her feel warm from her head to her toes.
Cruz gave her a judgmental, disgruntled look. “You need to be smart, Darcy. Why would you go home with a guy you hardly know? That’s moving way too fast.”
A lot of retorts flowed through her mind, but instead of arguing with him, she said, “Because I think he’s my forever guy.
I feel good with him. Safe and cared for.
I’m sorry that you think it’s too fast, but for me it’s just right.
It doesn’t matter if you approve or not, because I approve.
I like him, Cruz. Hell, I’m falling for him. Hard.”
“It’s ridiculous,” he said, slashing the air with his hand. “You’re going to end up getting hurt.”
“Just because things crashed and burned with you and Vanessa doesn’t mean that the same thing will happen with me and Ford. Stop letting your past color my future, and honestly, Cruz, with all the love in my heart—just freaking butt out.”
She fixed her coffee and hurried to the bathroom, leaving her brother seething in the kitchen. She knew his admonition came from a place of love, but she was not in the mood. The only person’s opinion she cared about in her relationship with Ford was Ford’s.