NINETEEN
Zane opened one eye and squinted into the sunlight pouring through the window. Opening the other, he realized where he was and couldn’t believe he had slept through the night.
An occurrence that only happened rarely.
Did it have anything to do with the snoring beauty in his arms? Pulling Olivia closer, he knew it most certainly did.
His mind was remarkably clear and seemed to have skipped the usual visit to the dark corners, allowing him a night off.
What a relief.
Running his hand over Olivia’s soft skin, he inhaled her scent, knowing he’d never been as intimately entwined with another human. She had somehow managed to do what no other woman had and burrowed under his skin and into the beating muscle in his chest.
He spooned her closer, knowing it wouldn’t disturb her rest, and snapped a mental picture of the red highlights in her wild morning hair. Tucking his knees into the back of hers, he let peace wash in and told himself there had to be a way for them to be good for each other.
What kind of hills did he need to climb to become capable of the type of love the woman deserved?
He had very few clues and knew that’s why he’d always avoided serious entanglements. Easy in and easy out had been his motto.
Until Olivia Elaine Bennett showed up on his doorstep.
Memories of Mosul unexpectedly began crowding in, so he closed his eyes, buried his face in Olivia’s hair, and took long slow breaths. He pushed away the echoes of exploding bombs and replaced them with memories of Olivia”s shouts of pleasure. The ones he’d given her when he’d driven himself into her addictive heat.
Relief slowly replaced terror, and he continued to replay each moment of their lovemaking. “Better,” he whispered, remembering how her touch soothed his ragged edges.
Hearing a murmur, he felt her press her ass against his lap. “Good morning to me,” he muttered as his balls tightened. He thickened along the inside of her bare thigh and gripped the generous curve of her hip.
“You stayed,” Olivia whispered.
“I did—hope it’s okay.”
“Silly man, of course it is.” She turned and pressed a kiss to his chest.
How was this his life? “Should I get up and make the coffee?”
“In a minute.”
After biting her lip, she pushed him on his back, and he found himself mesmerized as her beautiful breasts swayed. He leaned up and managed a quick nibble before she snapped the sheet out of the way.
“My turn.”
“Liv…”
“Hush.”
He dropped his head against the pillow and growled when her hand fisted his dick confidently. Instantly, his stomach filled with pressure as she gave him a tight stroke and then another.
Lifting his head, he tried not to pass out when he saw her mouth wrap around his girth. Olivia’s beautiful lips brushed over the head, followed by her tongue. His balls felt like they might explode. “Damn…”
Another light lick had his hips jumping off the bed and his vision blurring. He fisted the sheets and told himself absolutely under no circumstance to drive himself into the sweet heat of her mouth. Moaning, she took at least four inches, tightened her lips, and dragged them back up to the tip. “That’s so good, Liv.”
Humming, she moved back down his length, and he decided that anything less than full worship would not do when it came to his Olivia.
His nerve endings exploded like bombs beneath his skin. Every stroke went directly to his belly and sped him toward a climax. He dug his toes into the mattress as his hips thrust slow and nasty. Opening his eyes, he saw his girl’s lips stretch as she sunk down to his root, her beautiful eyes on him the whole time.
Was she turned on too? The light in her eyes suggested she was. He held back his climax through some miraculous effort and roared, “Come here, Liv.” He manhandled her so she was sitting on his chest and facing away. “Go ahead; you can resume your torture now.”
He got a sassy smile in response and then watched her bend forward, wrapping her mouth over his pulsing erection. Not wasting a minute, he tugged her hips back just enough. “So wet, babe. Is that what sucking me off does to you?” He greeted her with his tongue and slowly stroked her tiny nub up and back.
She gave him a low groan as she worked his length. Damn, he loved having her ass in the air as he licked her sweet honey. Good freaking morning to him. Her thighs trembled as she went for broke on his dick; whimpering, she sucked down to the base as he lashed his tongue against her bundle of nerves again and again.
His breath labored; he pumped his hips and doubled his efforts, swearing that he would taste her release before he gave in.
“Zane!”
She ground against his mouth, and cum shot out of his cock so fast he almost lost consciousness. Flicking his tongue with more intent, he gripped her hips and was rewarded with her release. He bucked and writhed as his body released its seed into Olivia’s warm mouth.
Catching sight of the two of them in the mirror over the bureau, he watched Olivia’s hand pump down his length as white drops of his cum landed on her chest. Another round of spasms seized him and turned him inside out. “Liv…”
Once he crashed back to earth, he sat up and wrapped her in a bear hug, promising once again somehow to become worthy of the incredible woman and grab as much happiness as he could.
Olivia gingerly sat up and decided that she would live another day. Tequila, loss, and incredible goodbye sex would not be the end of her. She was made of sterner stuff and would be in full recovery mode before long.
“You’re alive,” Lucy announced from the doorway. “Though whatever is happening to your hair makes me think that might not be best.”
“If I had more energy, I’d throw something at you.”
“I’ll make coffee. I brought a tray of cinnamon rolls; can you drag your fanny downstairs?”
“For sugar, absolutely!”
Lucy scrunched her nose. “On second thought, take a shower before you come down.”
“That bad?” Olivia asked as she pushed herself out of bed.
“Yes!”
She blew her sister a kiss. “I’ll be down in a bit.”
Ignoring Lucy’s questioning glance, she walked into the bathroom and told herself there was no crying in baseball or at the end of a tryst with her neighbor. At least, she assumed that’s what their morning activities signified since Zane hadn’t stuck around for a chat and left before she woke up from the orgasm-induced nap.
As far as she knew, they were in the same place and on the precipice of calling the game.
Was that dread or relief filling her heart? She couldn’t tell.
Feeling at least fifty percent better, Olivia walked out of her bedroom and saw her sister’s suitcases outside the guest room. “Interesting.”
She clomped down the stairs and entered the sun porch. “Are you running away from home?”
Lucy looked up from the book she was reading. “The water pipes are acting up, and Linc said shutting off the water was the only answer.” She set down her book. “I’m not sure how long it will take to have everything repaired.”
Olivia collapsed into a soft chair. “You know that you can stay as long as you like.”
“Thanks, sister. Mom wasn’t all that happy that I didn’t choose to return home.”
“Does her parrot still freak you out?”
“Yes!” Lucy filled their coffee cups. “I’m sorry, but that animal has no manners and says the most annoying things. Every time I’m over there, I feel those beady little eyes follow me around the kitchen as it squawks profanities.”
“That bird sure can throw a lot of judgment for such a small animal. It usually curses me out whenever I stay for more than an hour.”
Lucy pushed the sugar in Olivia’s direction. “I still don’t know why Mom decided that rescuing the animal was necessary.”
“Elaine Bennett has the biggest, softest heart, and there was no way she would let that bird be put down or sent to the glue factory.”
“I know, and please don’t rat me out if that bird eventually disappears under questionable circumstances.”
“If you spill the delicious details of whatever is going on with you and Linc, then I promise to look the other way when feathers fly.”
Lifting a cinnamon roll, Lucy frowned. “Nothing to tell.”
“A lie if ever there was one.” She pinched off a piece and slid it into her mouth, letting the sugar dissolve against her tongue. “But I can see you’re not ready to discuss it, so I will wait patiently.”
“Thank you,” Lucy replied quietly. “I’m hoping that if I ignore the man, he’ll simply disappear and take whatever black magic he possesses with him.”
“After he fixes the pipes in the bookstore.”
“Yes, after that.” Lucy pushed her plate away. “And what is your plan for the recluse at the end of the lane?”
“I may take a page from your book and see what happens.”
“And here I thought he had you properly sexed up and contented as a kitten.”
She let out a sigh. “He’s minutes away from delivering some sort of, it’s not you, it’s me speech.”
“The state of your bedroom and, if I’m not mistaken, your heart, notwithstanding.”
“A mere pit-stop on the road to disaster.”
“I don’t like this new you.” Lucy shook her head. “I much prefer your rainbows and happy puppy approach to life. All this doom and gloom doesn’t suit you one bit. That’s Callie’s groove, not yours.”
“Seems Zane is inspiring a new point of view.”
“If Mom or Grams were here, they’d have something wise and prophetic to say—a metaphor about new love and old pain.”
Olivia slid her finger through a glob of sugar. “They’d tell me I’m not afraid of new love but old pain.”
“And are you?” Lucy asked, “Afraid of giving Zane something you can’t afford to risk a second time?”
“Probably. But I’m going to hunker down behind my emotional walls, invite denial over, and see if I can hide from the truth for a bit longer.” She folded her legs and leaned her head on her knees. “Why did I think that sexy times with Zane would be inconsequential?”
“You didn’t,” Lucy said quietly. “You merely decided that the reward of having even a small part of him outweighed the risk.”
“Which is why staying away from sexy men is an idea we should embrace,” she stated firmly.
“As much as something like that is possible.”
Olivia lifted her head and studied her sister. “You have to give me a little tidbit. Linc is the opposite of every man you’ve ever dated, and I’ve never seen you so flustered.” She leaned over and took her sister’s hand. “Tell me the truth, how tempted are you?”
“A lot more than I’m comfortable admitting.”
Knowing that sort of admission cost the always in control Lucy significantly, she nodded. “Then we won’t discuss it further. Let’s both hang out with our new friend, denial and see how far it gets us.”
“And if that doesn’t work, we can always take a long road trip.”
“Now, there’s a good idea.” Olivia let her feet fall to the ground and hoped the Hawker men didn’t have the means to blow up the Bennett sisters” careful defenses.
Something like that would be dangerous for everyone concerned.