25. Reed
Reed watched Maya move past him into the foyer of his house. He still couldn’t believe she was actually here.
“Smells good in here.”
“I told you I could cook,” he reminded her. He shut the door then followed her and the smell into the kitchen.
“Well, let’s see how it tastes first,” she teased, glancing at him over her shoulder. “I brought two slices of caramel cake from my favorite bakery.”
She placed the white box on the counter then started toward him. His eyes followed her across the room until they were cast down and looking into the big brown eyes that were looking up at him waiting on a proper greeting.
“Thank you.” He cupped her cheek and leaned in to give it to her.
His lips met hers straight on, and it wasn’t long before they parted, heads tilting in opposite directions as they took advantage of being in the privacy of his home and away from the prying eyes of others. They didn’t have to pull away, instead they kept going back, not satisfied until each had placed their mark on the other’s upper and lower lips at every angle and at least twice. But even their private display of affection began to feel excessive, so they reluctantly pulled away, lips swollen and tingling as they shyly met each other’s eyes.
“You’re welcome,” Maya eked out. “So is there anything I can do to help?”
“Nope. Just needs to simmer for a little while longer, then we’ll be ready to eat.” While he returned to the stove to check on their dinner, she wandered off to explore.
“Did you finally get a present for your mom?”
“Huh?” He turned to find her standing over the red and green wrapped box that he forgot was on the dining table. “No, that’s for you, actually.”
“Reed.” She tilted her head and awwed at the gesture. “I didn’t think we were doing this.”
“We’re not. It’s not really from me.” He put the wooden spoon in his hand down on the counter and made his way over to her. “It’s hard to explain. Just open it.”
She eyed him curiously, then slid the box off the table, her arms bowing from the unexpected weight. “It’s heavy.”
She recovered and turned toward the living room. He followed behind her and took a seat on the couch next to her as she set the box on her knees and gave him another look before tearing into the gift wrap to find a plain cardboard box that had some wear and tear around the corners. She questioned it with a raise of her eyebrows.
“Keep going,” he said, grinning ear to ear at her reaction.
She ran her nail under the band of clear tape that held the box shut, and opened it, revealing a shiny mass of metal. She picked it up and turned it in her hands as she examined every angle. Its levers, coils, and base were all a uniform silver with a light sheen, and after a moment her eyes flashed with recognition. She had seen a cruder version of this before.
“Wait, is this Johnson’s tool?”
“Yep.” He couldn’t help his proud smile. “I got him in touch with a local metal fabricator, and this is from the first test run. He wanted us to have it.”
“Oh my God.” She seemed as impressed by the slickly produced tool in her hand as he had been the first time he saw it. It looked like something that belonged on the shelves of a hardware store.
“We also got free plumbing services for life, by the way,” he added, still tickled by the unconventional gift that he knew would probably come in handy someday. “Didn’t know how to wrap that one up for you, though.”
“This is amazing,” she said, still marveling at what Johnson was able to achieve with their help. She leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees, taking another long look at the tool before turning to him. “You know, I always thought he hated us.”
“Nah, he’s all bark and no bite. Nice guy once you get to know him. You know the type.”
“Yeah,” she scoffed. “I’ll never forget that first time we met him, within five minutes he was trying to shut the door in our faces and you got all tough. I hadn’t seen that side of you before, and I was like, Hello, Officer Stanton.”
He swiped his hand over his face and groaned. He wasn’t even sure what that was supposed to mean, but he was embarrassed and flattered all at once due to the mischievous look on her face. He fell back into the couch, and she placed the tool on his coffee table and did the same, coming shoulder to shoulder with him. She drew her feet up on the couch and twisted her body towards him, her knees coming to rest on the side of his leg. He reached over and put his hand on her knee, and she covered it with her hand.
“So what are you going to do with that thing?”
“That thing? You mean my pipe crimper? Ditch law and go into plumbing, obviously.”
“Yeah.” He forced a chuckle at her little joke which was all the more laughable since she wouldn’t even consider practicing law back home never mind give it up all together.
“No,” she said, her tone growing more serious. “It’s going in my office someday.”
“Really?” It was hard to imagine such a thing finding a place in her sure-to-be modern, impeccably designed corner office.
“Yeah. I’m proud of it. I’m proud of us,” she decided instead, smiling fondly at him. “I have a lot of good memories that go with it.”
He smiled back, tightening his hold on her hand and stilling their fingers that had been entwined and playing together while they sat on his couch. They grew quiet, the shyness from earlier returning as they gazed at each other. He wanted to kiss her again. His mind went back to a time where she could barely stand to be in the same room as him, and now she was in his house and the six inches between them was too far. There was hesitation on his part, though, knowing how hard it would be to stop this time, but desire was a powerful thing and there was no question how badly he wanted her. And he sensed she wanted him, too.
He leaned in to kiss her again, and from there it all moved so fast. She was on her back and he was between her parted knees, hovering over her with a smile as she reached for his face and drew him back in for a kiss. Their lips collided and tongues tangled, soft moans and sighs slipping out as their hands frantically explored each other’s bodies now that they had the time and privacy to do so.
With one arm propping him up, he slid the other under her sweater and over the soft skin of her abdomen then up the slope of her breast that was covered by a thin lacy layer of fabric. Her hands made a trail from his cheeks through his curls and down over his shoulders and chest until they reached his beltline where she grabbed the slack fabric of his shirt and hurriedly pulled at it until it was untucked. He sucked in a sharp breath as her cool hands moved over the bare skin of his sides and back.
She slid her hands out and began undoing each button from the bottom up and tugged at the sleeves, signaling for him to stop what he was doing with his hands and lips, and rid himself of the shirt entirely. He did, and she smiled, liking what she saw hopefully. She lifted her back off the couch to assist him as he grabbed the hem of her sweater and started guiding it up her chest and over her head revealing her breasts, so full and perfect to him with very little help from the thin, lacy black bra that covered them. They slowed for a moment, eyes roaming over each other’s bodies to appreciate what had been just beneath the surface this whole time, and when their eyes met, he saw his raw need and desire reflected back at him.
He reached for her breasts again, palming them in his hand as he leaned down and resumed their kiss. Barriers fell between them so quickly that he barely had time to register what was happening. He relaxed into her and let his lower half meet hers, the feel of her center against his bulge turned his aching want into an urgent need. Her arms slid between their bodies and both hands unbuttoned his jeans and undid the zipper giving her room to explore. He was just behind her as he used one hand to do the same, while keeping the other braced on the couch behind her head to keep enough space between them for this exploration. She slipped her hand between the waistband of his boxers and belly, sliding it down and taking hold of him. Their kiss broke as his mouth went wide and let out a shuddering breath at the contact.
As soon as he succeeded in undoing her pants, he slipped his hand down the front of her matching black panties. With just a few passes of his hand, he felt the slickness of her arousal which heightened the sensation for her even more as he rubbed it over the length of her opening and circled his fingers over her most sensitive spot.
While this felt beyond amazing, the past six months had been all of the foreplay he could handle. He needed her. Now.
“Do you have any protection?” she asked through ragged breaths as she tore herself away from his lips.
“In my room.”
Their hands continued pleasuring each other after it was decided, feeling too good to break away for a moment even though what awaited them would feel even better. But he willed himself to stop and reluctantly pushed himself off of her, then took her hand to help her up and lead her back to the bedroom.
They started through the house and as they reached the hallway, she slowed. “Reed,” she whispered as she tugged on his hand to stop him. “The pot.”
His eyes went toward the kitchen and his nostrils flared as the scent hit him at the same time, reminding him of the dinner date that had long been abandoned.
“Shit,” he muttered under his breath, which made her giggle.
He looked toward the bedroom then the kitchen then the bedroom again, actually considering taking his chances of letting the whole house burn down to the ground for fear that she’d change her mind in the few seconds it would take to turn off the stove. She flat out laughed at him now because it was an absolutely absurd thought.
“I’ll be right there,” he promised, his level head prevailing.
“Okay,” she whispered into his lips as she gave him a parting kiss. “I’ll be waiting.”