Chapter Nineteen RUSSELL
Chapter Nineteen
RUSSELL
I tried to hold my release at bay, but it was nearly impossible. Being bare inside Paisley was intoxicating. Her silky slick channel clenched around me as I took several deep breaths. I finally lifted my head from where it was resting between her shoulder blades.
Opening my eyes, I stared down at her. Her back had freckles scattered over it, and her bottom was round and lush. She arched and pressed back into me, her auburn hair a tangle around her shoulders. Gritting my teeth, I took a breath and drew back, letting out a ragged groan as I filled her again.
Abruptly, she went still, her hands clenching on the counter.
She cried out, a sharp, keening sound as her pussy convulsed around me.
I tumbled over the edge after her. My balls drew up tightly as my release sizzled through me like hot lightning.
I poured into her, jerking roughly. My mind was hazed.
I was almost dizzy from it as I curled over her, resting a palm on the counter and trying to catch my breath.
After a few moments, I opened my eyes and uncurled my hand from her hip, smoothing my palm up her side. An intense sense of intimacy stole through me. I dipped my head because I couldn't resist kissing along the sweet curve of her neck. She turned her head, arching into my touch like a cat.
When I lifted my head, my gaze collided with Paisley’s.
We stared at each other quietly for a moment.
I thought maybe this should feel awkward, but it didn't. I straightened, my hand sliding down her back again.
Right then, her stomach growled, and she bit her lip.
Her cheeks went pink, and my heart turned over in my chest.
“I think I'm hungry,” she murmured huskily.
I felt my lips kick up into a smile. “You think?” I teased.
I slowly drew back, almost regretfully. Being buried deep inside Paisley was a kind of heaven I'd never imagined.
We got dressed, and even she laughed about the scattered random mess of our clothes.
It said something about how out of control my need had been that neither one of us had gotten fully undressed.
It was a damn crime that she had to pull her jeans up. Her bottom was perfect, and she even had freckles there. I had plans for that bottom. I needed to kiss every freckle, for starters.
“What are you having for dinner?” I asked.
She looked at me, biting her lip. “Well, if you weren't here, I would probably make something from a box.”
I grinned. “How about I make something?”
We stared at each other for a long moment. We seemed to be doing a lot of that. She nodded.
“Let’s shower first,” I added.
She bit her lip but followed along. After we’d showered and changed, we returned to the kitchen. “Okay, what are you going to make?” she asked.
“I don't know. Let me see what we've got.” She looked at me like that was crazy. “What?” I prompted as I crossed to the refrigerator and opened it, perusing the contents.
“You’re just going to think of something?”
Glancing over my shoulder as I closed the refrigerator and opened the pantry cabinet, I nodded. “Yes. That's a thing that people sometimes do.”
She let out a little huff. “Whatever. I don't cook a lot. You know that.”
“Really?” I teased.
“I'll be your assistant,” she offered. “Just tell me what to do. You already know I can grate cheese like a pro.”
“I do know that. How about I make something with this chicken?” I pulled out a package of chicken. “I'll make some seasoned rice with it.”
“Does it involve grating cheese?” Paisley asked. Her expression was so earnest I wanted to hug her.
She liked to feel competent, and it was so obvious she just didn’t when it came to anything in the kitchen.
She was highly proficient at work. I'd been working with her now going on six weeks, and she was an excellent firefighter. I felt a twinge of guilt. Because the second I’d laid eyes on her at her interview and thought she was hot, I’d gotten uncomfortable about it.
I’d tried to act like she wasn't a good hire.
She was rock-solid, she had great judgment, and she was absolutely a team player.
Except when she was arguing with me, but maybe we had a way to avoid arguing.
She cleared her throat, and I realized my mind had wandered, but then it tended to do that with Paisley.
“Right. This doesn't involve a lot of cheese, but that's okay. You can do other things. Should we have some beer?”
“I thought I told you I don't like beer?”
“You did tell me that. I keep forgetting because you seem like the kind of person who would like beer.”
Her brows hitched up in question, and I shrugged. “I'm going to have a beer. Would you like something to drink?”
“I got some wine the other day. You should’ve told me you wanted some beer, and I would’ve picked some up for you.”
“We weren't really talking for a few days there,” I replied.
Her cheeks went pink. “We weren't purposely not talking,” she said.
“No, but we were avoiding each other enough that we couldn't talk,” I added as I pulled the chicken out of the fridge.
I fetched a beer and handed her a wine glass. I set to prepping the meal and gave her the task of pounding the chicken breasts with a meat tenderizer. “Why am I doing this?” she asked as she settled into her task.
“Because I'm going to roll them with filling.”
“Oh, with what?”
“It'll involve a little cheese, so you can grate some next. I promise it'll be delicious.”
When Paisley smiled over at me, my heart did that funny tumble that seemed solely associated with her. I didn't know what it meant, but I knew it felt unsettling. Also unsettling was the fact we’d had a really great day. Of course, having mind-blowing sex in the kitchen made the day even better.
It was only when the house phone rang after we’d finished eating and were lounging at the kitchen table playing Scrabble that I realized I'd completely forgotten about her brother's phone call, the very thing that had set us off on our trip to the beach. Based on the look on her face, I was pretty sure she hadn’t thought about it either.