Seen You Before (Work For It #2)

9. The Romance of Fog

CHAPTER 9

THE ROMANCE OF FOG

JOANIE

T he party’s winding down but I don’t want this evening to end. It’s like the night at Foggy’s, where Colin and I rode a metaphorical tilt-a-whirl the whole evening, bouncing from one bit of fun to another. I can’t believe I kissed him in the booth, but I couldn’t help myself, and he didn’t seem to mind.

My lips and cheeks still tingle from where his beard tickled my skin. I try—I really do—not to think about what his beard would feel like against my skin a little further south. A lot further south. The Bermuda Triangle south.

“Joanie,” I chastise myself, and Meredith cocks an eyebrow at me. We’re slumped in chairs, leaning on a table, watching the last few people on the dance floor.

Ivy plops down in the chair next to me and lets out a mighty groan. “Fuck, my feet are toast.” She takes off her sparkly shoes and wiggles her toes. “Mars stepped on them at least three times when we were dancing.”

Meredith leans past me and nails Ivy with a look. “Slow dancing?” Ivy immediately turns red. I need my notebook, and I need it now. There is some juicy stuff going on that needs to be written down.

“I’d tease you back, but honestly you scare me a little,” Ivy says to Meredith.

“Good.” Meredith winks at her and sits back in her chair with a satisfied smirk.

Stuart’s still going like a spinning top, but most people are gathering their coats, saying their goodbyes, and heading for the door.

Colin is deflating a giant unicorn, and I snort at the image. “You’re so thoroughly fucked, and I love it,” Meredith says. “Sweet revenge.”

I don’t try to deny it—what would be the point? “Is it really revenge if I don’t feel bad about it? I mean, look at him. He has a face that could stop traffic, and a personality I couldn’t even put in a book because nobody would believe how good he is.”

“You’d need some specialized equipment to climb that mountain of a man,” Meredith says, like she’s discussing the weather.

I choke on nothing, coughing out a laugh.

“And he looks like he’d blow your back all the way out,” she continues, ever the romantic.

“Yeah, he does,” I sigh. As if he can sense we’re talking about him, he looks up from his task of murdering a unicorn and smiles. I want to take that smile and freeze it in time. My heart might not survive the fierce beats I feel everywhere. Everywhere . I’d like to drag him up to a hotel room and do about forty-six different things to him.

I also want to go home and fall into bed because I’m drifting into that late-night head space of exhaustion and giddiness. Like karaoke night, but in a prettier outfit.

“My guy is still going,” Meredith mutters. She yawns and stands, slinking her way over to Stuart who’s thanking some of the catering staff. She wraps her fingers around one of his suspenders and gently tugs him from the room. I can see his grin from here.

Ivy slowly stands up, grabs her shoes, and pads out the door with a wave over her shoulder. I notice Mars watching her go and follow her out. I file that away for later.

My own feet are aching, but I make my way to Colin where he’s retrieving his suit jacket. “Ready?” He gives me a long look and nods. “Stuart said there’s a line of cabs outside that he arranged for people who didn’t want to drive home.”

His large, warm hand ghosts over my lower back, and I shiver at the weight of it. As we walk towards the lobby he drops his jacket on my shoulders.

“Thanks.” I’m instantly distracted by the woodsy, clean cotton smell of his coat, and try not to pass out from inhaling too hard. I smile up at him as he helps me into the backseat of a cab. He pauses for a second, looks back at the line of cars, and then slides in next to me. My body gets exponentially hotter as I stare at his profile. His jaw is clenched like he’s just reached a monumental decision. We don’t say a word, but there's a silent understanding that this night isn’t over.

Tonight’s taken on a feel of inevitability. Like we were always headed in this direction. Sharing the back of a cab, me leaning my head on his shoulder, his hand brushing light circles over my thigh.

Our friendship has built and built over the last weeks, but Colin feels like he’s always been a part of my life. A big, solid presence that I can’t remember ever being without.

The Wavecrest fog rolled in sometime during the party, and the town is cloaked in cottony mist. The fog at night is magical, diffusing light and muffling sound, giving everything a dream-like quality.

I want to wrap us in it. I want to stand under a streetlight with Colin and let the fog surround us and hide us from the world. I want to bury my fingers in his beard and pull him in for a kiss that never ends.

His hand tightens on my thigh and his eyes roam my face like he can hear my thoughts. When we pull up in front of my house he pays the driver, gets out, and offers me his hand.

I don’t hesitate taking it. I tug him a few feet down the sidewalk to the streetlight that stands between my house and my neighbor’s. The light casts Colin’s eyes in a shadow and plays with his cheekbones. He’s a giant beast in the mist that I have to kiss right fucking now.

He doesn’t ask questions, doesn’t crack a joke. He follows me until I grab his forearms and press him against the streetlight’s pole. His head quirks to the side, and I let out a little sigh. “Perfect.”

I press myself to him, my head barely coming to his shoulder, and shiver when he wraps his arms around me.

“Joanie,” he starts, his voice husky and rough. I run my hands up his chest, feeling the strength there and tangle my fingers in his beard, go up on my toes, and kiss him.

Really kiss him—nothing gentle or sweet. No subtle caresses. Because this kiss is no tease, no testing of the waters. This is where it’s all been leading. Every smile, raised eyebrow, meal together, and touch. This constant pull between us. It begins and ends with this kiss.

And oh my stars, this kiss is...it’s everything. There’s no hesitation with Colin. His arms band around me tighter and our lips explore and taste. Discover and nip. He tastes like mint and heaven. His beard tickles my chin and cheeks as he takes the kiss deeper. Groaning into my mouth as I open for him, our tongues meet and the fire ignites. Sparks turn into flames that lick down my body.

We take our time savoring each other, with him delving deeper and me welcoming him in. His groans are met with my gasps, as if we each can’t believe the fucking perfection of this kiss.

He lifts me off the ground, my toes nearly coming out of my shoes. This is what I wanted. To kiss a beautiful man... this beautiful man...in the fog. To hear our sighs and moans bounce off the thick mist and feel it settle on my skin.

But fog is cold, so I shiver even wrapped in Colin’s arms and his jacket. “You must be freezing,” I say against his lips. He shakes his head but sets me down and grabs my hand. I see the realization hit that he doesn’t know which house is mine.

“Lead the way.” Then, as if he can’t help himself, he leans down and kisses my cheek. Zings of electricity race through my body and I shiver again. We’re a few steps from my front door and it already feels too far.

I grab the keys out of my clutch with shaking hands, unlock the front door, and pull him inside. I drop my keys somewhere, shed his jacket, and launch myself at him. Heaven love a man who can catch me. With his hands cupping my ass Colin carries me through the first door he finds, which leads to the kitchen.

He sets me on the counter, finds a glass, and fills it with water. His eyes sparkle when he hands it to me. “Drink up. You need to be hydrated for what happens next.”

I’d laugh, but he’s not wrong. I take a long drink of water, watching him watch me. His eyes dart down to my thighs where my dress has ridden up. He licks his lips and steps closer. That’s right sir, these babies are about to cradle you like you’ve never been cradled before.

He brushes his thumbs from my knees to just under the hem of my dress, pressing himself between my thighs to bury his face in my neck. His lips graze my skin, and I almost drop the glass I’m still holding. I manage to set it down next to me before I rake my hands through his hair.

I’ve written dozens of scenes like this, but they’ll never compare to the real-life feeling of my legs wrapped around his sides, him pulling back and cupping my face, and gazing into my eyes. I’m a live wire before he lays his lips on mine. After...after I’m filled with lightning.

“Joanie,” he says against my lips. It’s a question. A plea. A demand.

“Yes,” I sigh. It’s an answer. A declaration. A surrender.

One more searing kiss, one that steals my breath, and then his lips trail away from my mouth, to my cheek, my ear, my neck. My hands are on his very solid biceps, and I squeeze hard to keep myself anchored to the here and now.

Colin’s beard tickles along my collarbone as he nips at my shoulder. I melt a little more into him, swaying into his chest and wrapping my arms around his neck. My fingers tunnel through his hair, and it feels like heaven. He moans with every tug and brush.

“You can never cut your hair, Colin,” I babble. “God, I can’t wait to see the rest of you.” I can’t begin to play it cool. I’m holding nothing back. He opens his mouth to say something, but I need more kisses. Now. So I tug him down and breathe him in. Our lips come together, only separating when we need oxygen. I’m so wet for him that I feel my arousal on my thighs.

He pulls back for a second, his hands squeezing my waist and keeping me rooted in place on the counter. “Joanie, I need to...” He swallows heavily. “I need to...”

“I need it too. I need you . Now, Colin. I need you now .” There’s a split-second where it looks like he’s going to say something, but I reach for his tie and start to loosen the knot.

His eyes lock on mine, and he licks his lips. “God, I want you.” Need and want are too inadequate to express what we’re feeling, but they’re the only words we have.

He pecks me on the lips, crouches, hoists me over his shoulder, and carries me down the hallway. I squeal. I can barely breathe, but that’s beside the point. I brace my hands on Colin’s lower back because I can’t reach his butt. My shoes drop to the floor along the way. It’s fine, they were little pinchy assholes anyway.

A minuscule part of my brain takes note of what it feels like to be carried like this and to remember to add it to my next mountain man romance. Honestly, this is delightful. Colin is a book boyfriend come to life. I laugh but it comes out sounding like an air horn that’s lost most of its air.

Colin’s warm hand is on my ass, and I have zero complaints. Bonus points for the squeeze he gives it just before he sets my feet on the bed. When I straighten, I’m standing at the end of the mattress and his face is boob-level.

“Nicely done, mister.” My hands are on his shoulders to keep myself steady. His hands are on the backs of my legs, just above my knees, and warmth spreads from his fingertips.

He looks up at me with an expression that makes my breath hitch. This gorgeous man looks at me like I’m the sun and he hasn’t seen daylight for months.

“I like your face,” I say to him because it’s the truth. Not just his eyes and his cheekbones, but the life there. His personality, his experience—it’s all there on his beautiful face, etched in the lines around his eyes and between his expressive eyebrows.

“Want to see what I can do with it?” His wicked grin is slow to spread, but when it reaches maximum wattage my heart flip flops. Those aren’t simply butterflies in my belly...they’re griffins and dragons. Fireflies and hummingbirds.

“What was the question?” He laughs as his hands trace up my thighs, under my dress. A tiny mewl escapes me as his finger plays with the edge of my panties. With me standing on the bed his lips are at the perfect place to lick and nibble at my neck. I don’t know if my legs are going to last much longer.

“I’m going to play with this pussy, Joanie, until you’re screaming my name.” His fingers go back and forth, back and forth.

“Oh my,” I whisper. “And then what?” Look at brave little me.

“And then I’m going to taste you because I’ve been dreaming about that sweet cunt for months. Months .” Sweet baby Jesus, light me on fire—I’m done. All the air leaves my lungs when his fingers find the sides of my panties and tug them down. I quickly step out of them, clinging to his shoulders so I don’t tip off the bed. He shoves them in his back pocket and then his hands are back on me in an instant.

I flail at the zipper on the side of my dress, finally getting the tiny little thing undone. I hear a ripping sound when I try to shove the dress down over my hips. Oh well, fuck it.

Colin’s jaw drops open then snaps shut. I laugh at his reaction even as I’m impatient to get him on top of me, inside me. His eyes laser in on my black strapless bra as he licks his lips. His beard is going to feel amazing brushing against my breasts.

I tug on his beard. “Eyes up here, Pipes.”

He blinks slowly. “But your tits are down here.”

“You make an excellent point.” I reach around and unclasp my bra, letting it drop to the bed in one swift motion.

“Joanie, you gotta warn a guy,” he groans. He looks like he’s in pain.

“Oops.” I shrug and his eyes track the bounce of my boobs. His hands are still kneading the backs of my legs, and I don’t think he realizes he’s doing it.

“Fuck, you’re gorgeous, Joanie. So fucking perfect.” I’m not, but I appreciate that he thinks so. I want to say thank you but all thought leaves my brain when his mouth comes down on my cleavage. He inhales deeply, and then I feel the wet heat of his tongue and lips tracing over my curves.

It feels like I have red wine in my veins—his languid caresses and tastes making me sway into his hold. He finally takes mercy on me and gently lays me down on the bed, capturing a nipple between his lips and sucking hard.

I arch off the bed, growing slicker between my legs. “Colin,” I whisper. His lips on my skin have a direct line to my pussy. “Colin, please.” I don’t even know what I’m begging for. More of his mouth, his fingers. His cock inside of me. All of it.

My hands find the back of his head, gripping his hair tightly. He growls when I pull harder, so I keep pulling. “Why are you still wearing clothes? How is that fair?” I sound like a whiny little brat but I’m selfish. I want him naked and inside me right now.

He laughs into the skin under my left breast. “I think this is my new favorite spot.” He inhales deeply, holding it, then blows out a breath that tickles my skin. I squirm under him and tug on his hair.

“Lovely thought. Can you please fuck me now?”

He rests his chin on my stomach. “Very romantic coming from a romance writer.”

“Colin. Dear, dear Colin.” I try to sit up, but I’m caged in by his giant arms and body. So I pull him closer instead. “Take. Off. Your. Clothes.” I punctuate each word with a tug on his beard and a kiss. He laughs but something flashes in his eyes. A moment of hesitation.

But he does it. He stands up, quickly unbuttons a few buttons and drags his shirt over his head. I grunt in frustration at the undershirt he has on, although Colin in a tight white T-shirt is the stuff dreams are made of. The way it pulls across his chest and stomach, the way his biceps strain the sleeves. I couldn’t write this guy if I tried.

My head gets a little fuzzy and my pussy gets a lot wet when he pulls his undershirt off. I’ve always liked my guys on the larger side, and Colin is beyond any middle-of-the-night fantasy I could conjure up. Dark hair covers his pecs and belly, and I want to roll around in it like it’s a bearskin rug. I want to press my lips to his stomach and never move.

I spread my legs a little wider, telling him to keep going. “More, please.” His shoulders relax, and he drops his pants. The bulge in his boxers makes my mouth water.

“Colin...how are you real?” He ducks his head for a second, but when his eyes meet mine again there’s a fire there—determination. I spread my legs wider.

He grabs my ankles and drags me towards the foot of the bed. My squeal of delight fills the room. I love a man who can toss me around.

I get a swift, punishing kiss on the lips and then he quickly nips and licks his way down my body. “Oh, shit.” My breath stutters out of me.

“Don’t get all serious on me now, Shark. We’re going to have so. Much. Fun.” He nips and sucks at my skin, swirls his tongue in my belly button, and then flings my thighs over his shoulders like he’s putting on a scarf.

I’m wide open to him, my most vulnerable parts exposed and aching with need. But I trust Colin to take what I’m offering with the same care he looks at me with. His touch sends goosebumps racing across my skin, but it’s his solid, steady presence that bathes me in warmth. This moment, with just the two of us together in the dead of night, this moment is right .

It takes my breath away and he’s barely touched me.

On his knees he closes his eyes for a split second and inhales deeply. “Better than I dreamed.”

“You dreamed about what I... oh .” His head is between my legs before I can finish my thought. And... poof ...it’s gone. As soon as his tongue touches my center my hands fly to his head where I grip his hair. I’m afraid of hurting him so I start to loosen my fingers. But he squeezes my hands where they rest on his head.

“That’s right, sweetheart, you guide this ride. Pull as much as you want.” Well okay then . I get great big handfuls of his hair and press him closer to me. He growls into me and then flattens his tongue against my clit. I drag in great gulps of air trying to stave off an orgasm that wants to happen too soon. My body writhes in his grip. His mouth consumes me, and it feels like flames caressing my skin.

I ride his face like he’s the last train out of town. I consider making his tongue a whole character in my next book. Colin licks and sucks my clit slowly, quickly, and everything in between. When I let out a deep moan, he keeps that pace, and I’m so close.

“Fingers, please,” I beg. I need to be filled with something. He pulls back just a little, and I sob with the cool air that rushes into the space between us and the loss of his tongue. But he’s quick to slide two meaty fingers into me and all is forgiven. “Oh, fuck.” A moan rips from my throat.

“Like this, Shark? You need filling, don’t you? Don’t worry, I’ll give this beautiful pussy everything it needs. Everything you need.”

He finds my g-spot within seconds, then his tongue is back on me. My clit is throbbing, and I’m seconds away from the edge. And when his lips suck my clit hard, I’m done. With sparks and confetti and static, my release hits me like a wrecking ball and I scream his name. My heels bounce against Colin’s back because I’ve lost control of my legs.

He doesn’t stop and my body stays locked in this marathon of an orgasm. I can’t tell if it’s another one or the same one that’s hanging on for dear life. Either way, I’m along for the ride.

When I finally come down, I realize I’m still gripping his hair when he taps the back of my hand. “Sorry,” I mumble as I release him. His head pops up between my thighs, and I can’t help it. I laugh when he grins at me. His beard is coated in me, and his hair looks like it met the wrong comb. He’s a mess, and he’s stunning.

I let out a contented sigh as Colin plants a series of kisses along my thighs and stomach. I can’t stop touching his hair...gently this time. But then I stop.

“Hang on, are you wiping your face on my skin? There are towels in the bathroom you heathen.”

He shakes his head and keeps kissing everything below my belly button. “I like this better.” We’re going to need the longest, hottest shower.

“Come here.” All the post-orgasmic hormones crashing through my body require snuggles. And there’s nobody more snuggle-worthy than Colin Breton.

I almost swallow my tongue when he stands up and shucks his boxers. My dude is...proportional. Oh, hell yes. I want to give myself a high five. Good job, me.

He grabs me and hauls me up the bed, so my head is on a pillow. And then he kisses me. I’m surrounded by the taste and scent of my own release, and it ratchets up my need beyond anything I’ve ever felt. He’s the only man to ever drive me wild and make me feel safe at the same time.

His cock presses against my thigh, thick and heavy. I’m desperate for him to be inside of me. “Pipes, I need you to fuck me good and hard.” I say it like we’re planning a heist and he’s the guy who has to crack a safe. “Are we clear?”

He hums into my neck, and I hear a muffled, “Whatever you need.” I nod towards the nightstand, and he pulls out a handful of condoms, tossing them on the bed next to my head.

I want him any way...every way I can have him. My legs and hips twitch with how needy I am. I need filling. I need Colin.

One last kiss before he tears open a condom and rolls it on. He moves over me, and I widen my legs, inviting him to ruin me. Because I know that’s what Colin is...he’s the man who will ruin all future men for me.

He notches the thick head of his cock against me, giving me a searching look. “Yeah?” he asks.

“Yeah.” I nod.

He slides in so slowly, so deliberately that the gasp that escapes me turns into a long moan.

“Oh god, so full.” I’m stretched around him, on the edge of pleasure and pain. Every hair on my body rises when Colin hits a spot that makes my eyes roll into the back of my head.

“Fuck, the way you grip me...I was made for this pussy.” His mouth against my throat sends shockwaves down my body. I raise my legs to cradle his flanks, and I’m almost folded in half. He puts his hand on the back of my thigh to hold it in place while he glides in and out of me.

Colin treats my body like a beloved musical instrument. He learns every string, every note. He knows which move will have me screaming his name. Where to touch me to make me lose my senses.

My hands are everywhere I can reach. In his hair, scratching down his back, holding his cheeks so I can simply look at his beautiful face and get lost in his eyes.

He looks at me like he can’t believe I’m here, beneath him, moving with every thrust, trying to hold him closer. Colin doesn’t know it yet, but I’m never letting him go.

COLIN

I’m not a spiritual person, but moving inside Joanie, being connected to her must be what heaven feels like. I never want to let her go, and I don’t think I ever will. I try to keep my movements slow, purposeful, but the sparks shooting down to the base of my spine tell a different story.

Just as my thrusts speed up and start to become erratic, just as I’m at the cusp of losing my grip, Joanie hooks her foot around my leg and pushes on my shoulder, flipping us over.

I let out a surprised grunt at our sudden change in position but I’m not complaining. This is the best view I’ve ever had. Joanie riding me, her hands on my chest making her arms squeeze her breasts together. Total fucking perfection.

“I’m going to fuck your tits later. Look at that pretty valley made just for my cock.”

“Yes, just for you.” I don’t think she even knows what she’s saying. Her cheeks are flushed pink, and her eyes are half closed. Her mouth hangs open, begging me to reach up with my thumb and get a feel of the wet heat there.

“Suck,” I tell her. Her eyes flare and she gives me a lick and a nip before sucking my thumb into her mouth. Waves of pleasure rush down my body at the tug of her lips around my thumb. I pull it out and rub her clit with it as I bring my hips off the bed, thrusting into her heat with everything I have. “Need you to come, sweetheart. Need you...”

Joanie screams my name and throws her head back, her release making her body curl forward. Her pussy grips me so hard that I lose my battle to stave off my own release.

“Beautiful. So beautiful when you come,” I babble as I grip her hips tightly, thrust so deep into her that I lift us off the bed over and over, and ride my release until I see stars.

With a sob that sounds like a disbelieving laugh she slumps on top of me. “Jesus Christ on a fucking bicycle what the hell did you just do to me?” Her breath puffs across my chest, tickling the hair.

“The same thing you did to me, I think. Completely ruined me.” My head is spinning with the reality of what just happened. What I want to keep happening every day and every night for the rest of my natural born life.

I can see the bright dividing line in my life. Before I took Joanie to bed, and after. How different the latter will look from the former.

Joanie slowly braces her hands on my chest and pushes herself back up to sitting. I’m still inside her, and I know I need to deal with the condom. But time is frozen, and I don’t want to be the one to restart it.

Her cheeks are flushed and her wavy brown hair curls around her head and face. I can see places on her skin where my beard scraped, and my cock twitches. Her eyes go wide.

“Already? You gotta feed a girl before round two.”

“How do you feel about cereal?” Then I realize we’re at her place. “Do you have cereal?”

She giggles as she climbs off me, and I groan at our sudden disconnection. My dick wants to be inside her again. And again. Probably until it falls off from overuse.

I get up to deal with the condom and come back to find Joanie slipping an oversized T-shirt over her head. “Boo, hiss. Do not approve.” Even if she looks adorable, I’d rather she stay naked.

“How dare you disparage my Buffy T-shirt.”

“Apologies.” I slip my boxers on, pick Joanie up so she has to wrap her legs around my waist, complete with an adorable squeak, and carry her to the kitchen. “I like having access to your perfect tits at all times.”

A blush races up her neck to her cheeks, and I plant a kiss on her before setting her down. I find bowls and she grabs some Cinnamon Toast Crunch and milk. We sit at the dining table like proper, civilized people, even though I know for a fact she’s not wearing underwear.

“So...” Joanie addresses it to her spoon.

“Spit it out, Shark.”

She finally looks at me, and her lips twitch with a suppressed smile. “I don’t want to be the ‘what does this mean’ person but what does this mean?” A lifetime of fucking and loving, and fucking and buying a house together, and more fucking if I play my cards right.

But I don’t want to scare her. I have to figure out a way to tell her all the things I need to tell her. “What do you want it to mean?”

She raps me on the back of the hand with her spoon. “Nope. I asked first, so no dodging the question.”

“Come sit on my lap, and I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”

“You dirty old man.” She laughs but stays where she is. I scowl, so she presses her finger between my eyes. “Stop that...your face is going to freeze that way. I’m staying over here where it’s safe from your persuasive hands and dick.”

I bark out a laugh. “Fine. You want to know what I want this to mean?” I lean closer to her and hold her gaze. “I really hope you’re into older men, because I’m not planning on going anywhere unless you tell me to fuck off.”

She lets out a fake sigh that disappears into a grin. “So romantic.” She takes a bite of cereal and a little bit of milk dribbles onto her chin. Before she can wipe it away, I jump out of my chair, wrap my arms around her, and lick her chin. She squeals and giggles, so I keep rubbing my beard all over her face.

When I’m done, she gasps for air, and I can’t stop laughing. I haven’t felt this...lightness...with anybody before. I’m forty-three years old—I’ve had my share of relationships. But this is easy. Being with Joanie is easy .

The smile that splits my face feels permanent. I set her back down, but there’s a gleam in Joanie’s eye when she reaches for the hem of her T-shirt and pulls it over her head. Then she turns and jogs back to her bedroom.

“Come on, Pipes. I’m ready for round two and there’s a whole stack of condoms with your name on them,” she calls over her shoulder. I nearly trip on my boxers trying to keep up with her.

JOANIE

This might be the best Sunday in the history of Sundays. I wake up with a giant bear of a man wrapped around me. Colin’s head is practically shoved in my armpit, and my arm’s flung over him like I have him in a headlock. His arm is wrapped around my hip and my foot is hooked around his calf. We’re a knot I don’t want to untangle.

I’m exhausted, deliciously sore, and could sleep another thirty hours. But I could also mount Colin and ride him into the sunset. Difficult decision, but the thick length of him pressing against me helps make up my mind. I feel his deep, even breaths against my skin and I don’t want to wake him before he’s ready, even if my pussy might protest.

Instead I quietly reach for the notebook I keep on my bedside table, open it, and start writing. Writing while I’m propped on one elbow is awkward, but I have a ton of thoughts I want to get out before they disappear from my brain. I noodle around with the plot of a new series, where the first book would feature a big teddy bear of a man who has brains and humor. I’d call it something like The Cinnamon Roll Who Eats Pussy Like a Champ . My editor might not approve, but I’ll keep it as a working title.

I jot down details of the main character, and unsurprisingly the hero has long black hair and a salt and pepper beard. As I get to the middle of my loose outline, a hand skims up my belly and settles on my boob. A deep hum rumbles through Colin, making me smile.

I close the notebook and roll over. His hair is in his face, and he’s got one eye cracked open. Deliciously rumpled.

“Morning.” I scoot down the bed so we’re face to face. “Sleep okay?”

He turns over onto his back and digs the heels of his hands into his eyes. “Feels like I’m still asleep because there’s no way waking up in your bed is not a dream.” He opens his eyes again and glances over at me like he’s checking to see if I’m still here.

I grin at him like a kook.

“Wow, not a dream.” He folds his hands behind his head and lets out a contented sigh.

“I can prove it to you.” I run my hand through the hair on his chest, swirling my fingers around his nipple. I see his cock jump under the thin sheet, and my smile cracks wider.

“Go on then.” He closes his eyes and tips his head further back into the pillow with faux nonchalance, but I can see his chest move with shallow breaths. He knows he’s about to get the blow job of his life.

“Challenge accepted.”

I don’t worry about dragon breath when I kiss him. One of my hands is in his beard and the other strokes the hair back from his forehead. His eyes fly open in surprise—he wasn’t expecting me to start at his lips.

This perfect Sunday morning calls for light edging, so I very slowly make my way down his body. My hands and mouth exploring every place I didn’t get a chance to spend time on last night.

It turns out that Colin’s nipples are extremely sensitive, and my tongue has a grand ol’ time revving him up. His hands stay behind his head, but his eyes have rolled into the back of his skull.

“Jesus, Joanie. What are you doing to me?”

“Same thing you did to me...ruining you for all future partners.”

I tease my way down his chest and across his belly where I nuzzle and nip him. His hand comes to my hair, slowly combing his fingers through it while I worship every inch of him.

My plan to draw this out is close to backfiring because I’m so turned on I can’t go slowly anymore. I don’t think he’ll mind.

When I wrap my lips around him, he lets out a long, deep groan and his hand tightens in my hair. There’s no way I can take him all in, but that’s what hands are for.

His cock jerks in my grasp when I lick him from root to tip and back down. I glance up at him and his eyes are locked on where I’m touching him, his lips parted with his heavy breathing. “Best thing I’ve ever seen,” he whispers.

I settle myself over his legs and take his crown to the back of my throat. My hand squeezes him tightly as I work up and down his cock. Colin’s hand shakes where he grips my hair. I reach up to play with his nipples and he almost comes off the bed. The sound of his growl bounces off the walls.

“That’s it, sweetheart. Just like that. So good.” His voice is thick, and I try to smile at the effect I have on him. I’ve never felt so powerful on a Sunday morning.

His breathing grows faster and shallower, and I know he’s close. I keep him at the back of my throat as I start to play with his tight balls. That earns me another grunt. Then I stroke that little secret spot behind his balls, hum around him, and he tips over the edge.

I swallow down his orgasm as his body locks. His jaw clamped tight around a shout.

When I finally release him, we’re both breathing hard. I drape myself across his body and fall asleep to the feel of his hand slowly caressing my hair and the sound of him humming.

COLIN

It’s difficult to perform basic functions when all your muscles have turned to soup. But that’s what Joanie has done to me, and my plans to run errands and do laundry today will have to wait until she wakes up and I can feel my toes again.

Holy shit, this woman has rocked my world over and over, but last night and this morning bring my feelings for her into sharp focus. Not that they were ever in doubt, but now I know for certain that this sparking chemistry between us is more than flirting, more than imagination and cold showers.

I laugh to myself, marveling at this turn of events, my belly bouncing and jostling Joanie a little. She lets out a little snore that makes me smile wider. I’ve never been a “meant for each other” kind of guy. The relationships I’ve fallen in and out of never felt like this. But Joanie makes me want to dive head first.

While she sleeps on me, I ponder what a committed us could look like, pushing the thoughts of my past career away. What matters is the here and now, and our future.