3. Avery
AVERY
Sam’s large powerful body radiated heat like nothing or anyone I’d ever felt in my life.
Not that I was crazy experienced.
Which I know sounds ridiculous, considering I was a single, never-been-married thirty-year-old woman. But the truth of it was, I’d had a total of three lovers. And none of them… did it for me. They didn’t get me off, nor were they into the things I liked.
My eyes fluttered shut as hot wet breath hit my bare shoulder.
“You’re fucking beautiful, princess.” My thighs pressed together to find some kind of relief against the pulsating ache that throbbed with the matching beat of my heart.
“Smell so damn good, baby girl.” His huge hands gripped my waist then slowly made their way down my hips to the hem of the tiny dress I was wearing.
“Daddy could you eat up whole with how fucking good you look.” I turned, and his dark eyes pinned me in place.
“Sam,” I breathed, and his gaze darkened before he tsked. “That’s not what you call me when you want some special attention, is it, Avery?” My chest fell and rose heavily, and I couldn’t seem to catch my breath.
“Daddy,” I moaned.
His hands rose, and just as they were about to cup my face….
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. My alarm went off and I rolled over in bed.
“Fuck. My. Life,” I mumbled, prying my eyes open, hating the disappointment I felt at the sexy dream I knew would be playing in a loop the rest of the day that felt all too real. I stared up at the ceiling fan.
“Just my luck,” I whispered to myself.
I only had one choice as my body still hummed and the blood in my veins was a little too warm.
I reached into my nightstand and took out my vibrator.
The soft humming buzz vibrated in my small bedroom, the sound muffling as I slipped it under my sheets and pull my drenched panties to the side.
Just as I was about to press it to my throbbing clit, the buzzing sputtered out and went silent.
“Ugh!” I cried. “This cannot be happening!” I groaned and sat up. “That’s what you get for not charging it up,” I muttered to myself. Tossing the unused toy back into my nightstand, I had no choice but to get up and start my day.
Groggy, irritated, horny, and completely unsatisfied was bad enough, but when I reached the kitchen and headed to my coffee machine, I shut my eyes and breathed through my nose so I wouldn’t scream with complete and utter frustration so damn loudly my neighbors would think I was being murdered.
There, on the counter, sat the empty coffee jar.
One I forgot to replace when I’d gone to the store the night before. But who could blame me? After two sleepless nights of overthinking since finally meeting Sam face to face, focusing on my grocery list had been more than difficult.
“I’m so screwed,” I whispered to myself, checking the digital clock on the over-the-stove microwave.
I had just enough time to run into town to the coffee shop I’d scooped out last week if I went through the drive-thru. I rushed to the door, automatically locking it behind me when I stared at my car.
“Shit,” I whispered under my breath because just like that, my day had just gone from bad to worse.
I had epically messed up.
Not only had I just locked myself out, I’d locked myself out wearing my pajamas just as Sam Miranda walked out of his house.
He stopped mid-step when he noticed me. And for a long, quiet morning where the birds chirped around us and the rest of the street still slept, we simply stared at one another.
“Hi!” I called out like a dork and winced at myself for being so damn awkward around the man.
There was something about Sam Miranda that re-wired my brain and made me all warm and mushy inside.
“Hey,” he called out as he started his slow steps towards his truck, or so I thought. He simply placed his travel mug on the hood of it and kept walking.
Straight to me. Great!
“What’s going on?” he asked as he reached the edge where the curb met my front yard.
“Going on?” I repeated like I had no idea what he was talking about even though I was pretty sure that not just my face was brighter, but the tips of my ears had turned red, too.
“Avery?” He looked like he was about to take a step forward but then changed his mind.
“Oh, nothing, umm…” Make something up! Anything! “I was going to water my plants.”
“Your plants?” I nodded. My front yard was nice, but it wasn’t like I had a crazy amount of plants in the front, more like two rose bushes that were already there when I moved in.
“Yup. I come out here every morning and—”
“Baby, you’re in your pajamas,” he pointed out. I pressed my lips together. We both knew I was lying. Also, he called me baby?!
“I woke up late.” I shrugged like it was no big deal I was outside my house in a thin nightshirt that sat a few inches above my knees and no bra.
I was almost positive that if I glanced down…
Yup! Kill me now! My nipples were standing at full attention.
Sam stared at me like he was trying to decide if he was going to call me out on my BS.
“Okay, then. If you’re sure you’re not… locked out of your house or anything?” He looked like he wanted to smile, and everything inside of me froze.
How does he know I’m locked out?
“Me, locked out?” I laughed and shook my head before I gave up. “I’m a horrible liar.” The words tumbled out, and he moved closer. “I didn’t sleep well again, and I ran out of coffee and thought I’d go get some from that place in town.”
“With the drive-thru?” he asked, and I nodded.
“Exactly. But in my half-awake daze I…” I point behind me. “This is beyond embarrassing.”
“Hey…” He stepped forward and stopped right in front of me. Sudden shyness filled me, and I didn’t realize I was looking at the ground until his fingers lifted my chin. “Hey, pretty girl, look at me.” I blinked, my tongue suddenly too big for my mouth.
Does he mean that? Did he really think I was pretty, or was he just being kind to his neighbor now that he saw just how ditzy she was?
“Shit happens, okay?” His reassuring tone made me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside.
“Right,” I whispered, my eyes taking in every masculine feature of his face.
“Now, how about you let me help you get back into your house, okay?”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that. You were probably on your way to work.” I pointed towards his truck. “I can call a locksmith and—"
“Avery,” he cut me off. I stared up at him. “I got you,” he rumbled like a vow, and my breath hitched.
Before I knew what was happening, Sam picked me up like a groom would with his bride. “Wait, what are—” I gasped, but at his smile, the words died on my tongue.
“You’re barefoot, baby girl.” The term of endearment had my hands wrapping around his neck.
I was too stunned to look away from his prefect profile as he carried me across the street.
He used the FOB to unlock his truck, and before I knew it, I was in his truck, watching in silence as he leaned over me so close I could smell the scent of his body wash or cologne, or maybe it was just him?
He pulled the seatbelt across my torso and clicked it in place.
“Precious cargo.” He winked, and I was pretty sure I was leaving a puddle on the seat beneath me.
He shut the door, and I swear all I heard was the sound of my heart thundering against my ribcage as I watched the man of my literal dreams round his truck, picking up his to-go coffee tumbler.
Oddly enough, he opened the back cab and put it in the cup holder back there before getting in the driver's side and looked at me after he put his own seatbelt on.
“I thought you were going to help me get back in my house,” I said, wondering what was wrong with me.
Usually, I had more common sense than this.
Sam was basically a stranger, yet I let him carry me into his truck without a fight, without letting anyone know where I was going or who I was going with.
“I am.” He smiled. “But first, there is one thing more important than that.” His truck roared to life, and my lips parted, about to ask what that was, when he grinned, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “Coffee.” He winked, and we’re off.
Sam drove… great. And that was coming from someone who was the worst backseat passenger in the world!
I was always that friend or acquaintance who would rather drive or meet you there than give up control.
Or hold on to the oh shit handle the entire ride.
I knew it was a me problem, but it was one I didn’t have with Sam.
I wanted to blame it on the mix of embarrassment and lack of sleep, but I’d never been keen on lying to myself.
It’s him.
Despite basically being strangers who live across the street from one another, Sam made me feel safe.
A first for me. He drove us to the cute little drive-thru coffee shop, and while we waited, he saw me squirming in the chair, crossing my arms over my chest. I was very aware of the fact I was still in my night shirt and tiny panties, and that was it.
No bra. No shoes. Not even socks. When you do something, Avery, you really do it! I scolded myself.
“Cold?” he asked. I shook my head even though it was a little chilly.
“I’m just… I’m still in pajamas.” His eyes skated down my body and back up, hooded with something I couldn’t completely read. “And now I realize I’m in the middle of town and there are a bunch of people around seeing me in—“ I pointed down at myself. He blinked.
“Shit,” he cursed before he shook his head.
“I’m sorry about that,” he mumbled, shifting the truck into Park in the middle of the drive-thru.
“I got you,” he reassured me again. I knew those three words would be replaying in my head on repeat once I recharged my battery-operated boyfriend.
He reached for something in the back seat and pulled out a hoodie.
“Here, this should help.” He handed me a black hoodie with a Miranda HVAC logo I recognized from his website printed in white and handed it to me.