“Yes, ma’am.”
Strong hands lifted me and I wrapped my legs around him good and tight. Heaven help me, given half a chance, I’d never let him go. Once my skirt was out of the way, we were good to go. He directed the head of his cock to my opening, both of us moaning at the exquisite sensation. He was hard and I was soft. We both wanted it bad. Slowly he lowered me onto him, the heavy length of him filling my insides just so.
Mouth open, I gasped, everything low in me tightening. This was what I’d needed since the moment I’d left. Him. There’d been no dates or distractions, I hadn’t even tried. Joe Collins had my heart whether he wanted it or not. With his big cock moving deep into my delicate insides, lighting up every inch of me, we might as well just cancel Christmas. Nothing else could be this perfect, bright, and special.
“Okay?” he asked.
“Oh yeah.” I smiled, my mouth trembling just a little.
Ever so sweetly he lowered me onto him, then lazily withdrew. Thrusting into me with the kind of knowledge I’d imagine only long-term partners knew. I was safe in his arms. There could be no doubt. And I knew his hazy eyes wouldn’t leave my face for a moment, registering every minute detail and reaction. Absolute ecstasy. The kind of sensation I could find with only one person.
“I love you,” I said, gazing into his eyes. It never even occurred to me to hide.
“Thank fuck for that.”
I clenched the muscles in my pussy tight around him, making things even better, hotter. Christ, what a rush. It nearly sent me cross-eyed.
“Shit,” he mumbled. “Do that again.”
I did as told. His hips ground against me, fingers digging into my ass cheeks. There’d be the best bruises later for him to kiss better. Gradually, his thrusts came harder and more often, pounding me into the door. I could barely breathe, let alone think. Inside of me, every muscle, every atom, coiled tight, reaching for that high.
Heels digging into his butt, I wrapped myself so tight around him the man couldn’t possibly escape. The heat and the smell and the everything … it was perfect. I yelled out his name, squeezing his cock tight. My mind was up among the stars, circling the galaxy. Yet still, I could feel him coming inside of me, his pelvis pinning me against the door.
Heaven. Absolutely positively heaven. I’d found it at last.
*
“Okay, that’s not suspicious at all.”
“What?” I asked, giving Rosie my very best attempt at innocence. Big eyes, fluttering eyelashes, that sort of thing.
Joe just quietly chuckled, the traitor.
I sat on his lap with a fresh drink in hand, his arm draped across me. All was good. Nell and Patrick had been successfully re-hitched in our absence. Both of the twins’ diapers had apparently been changed. On the impromptu dance floor, Stan and Audrey were swaying arm in arm to some cool old blues music. Alongside them, Vaughan and Lydia were doing likewise. Mal and his wife, however, were attempting to tango. Though I think mostly it was just Mal while his wife laughed her ass off, arms wrapped tight around him.
Love was ace.
“I think Rosie’s referring to the fact that your hair is a mess and half of your makeup is gone,” said Nell, sipping from a glass of water. “You look distinctly rumpled. And here I thought only the newlyweds were meant to sneak off and bang in a cupboard or something.”
Patrick just raised his eyebrows. “They have beds, baby. Why do it in a cupboard?”
“True,” she said. “How long do you think it would take us to do it in every room of this mansion, anyway?”
“Dunno.” Pat sat with his arm slung over Nell’s shoulders, his face serene, at peace with the world. Also, speculative. “We should investigate that later.”
Nell grinned.
Sitting on the arm of the couch, Eric just shook his head. “Married people don’t have sex. You two should know that. Minute you sign that contract, boom! Life as you knew it is over. No fun. No nothing.”
“Ah, my brother,” hummed Joe. “That patron saint of love.”
Eric gave him the stink eye, including me in on it too. Then he raised his bottle of beer in the air. “Fine, I’ll be nice. To love.”
Everyone else raised their glasses, clinking them against each other’s.
“To Nell and Patrick,” said Eric, his bottle again held high. “You two deserve every happiness this world can give you. And I mean that.”
“Thank you.” Nell’s eyes misted over.
Being manly, Pat gave him a nod.
“Here, here,” said Andre.
And the moment felt right. Old tensions laid to rest, no one in pain. Or at least, I didn’t think anyone was. A shadow lingered in Eric’s eyes, however. His usual surliness or something more, I couldn’t say. Today could have just as easily been the day his and Nell’s child was born. Not the kind of thing you can easily set aside and forget about. Heartbreak like that had to linger.
“And to you two,” continued Eric, pointing his near-empty bottle in my and Joe’s direction. Oh God, here we go. If he even started down the “she’s using you to get to me” road, I’d brain the idiot. But instead, he gave me a half smile. “Best of luck.”
The two brothers did the chin-tip thing to each other.
“Won’t be easy, living in different states,” said Rosie.
I smiled. “We’re used to being pen pals.”
“It’ll work,” said Joe, tone brooking no doubts. “I’ll spend some time there, you spend some time here. Eventually, we’ll work out which town suits us better.”
“You’d really leave?” asked Eric, frowning.
Joe just shrugged.
“Nuh.” I laid my head on his shoulder. “I don’t see that happening.”
He brushed his lips against my forehead. “I’m serious, Little Miss. If you need to be in Seattle then we’ll work it out.”
“You’ve got your work here, mine’s portable.”
“You’ve got Val and your folks there.”
“Yeah. But Val loves jumping on a plane and going somewhere. Whereas I hate flying with a fiery passion,” I said, because blatant truth, it’d taken a Valium and a huge serving of self-determination to get me here. “I think my parents would like visiting Coeur d’Alene. If, maybe, someday, I decided to move here. We’ll see.”
“I want you with me.” Another kiss was placed on my face. “But don’t rush into making a decision. I don’t want you regretting anything.”
“We’ll figure it out.” I smiled, soaking in the scent of him, the feel of his slick suit and thick shoulder beneath my cheek. The brush of his beard against the top of my head. Heaven.
“Yeah,” he whispered. “Love you.”
“You do?”
“Without a doubt.”
“Good. I love you more though,” I said. Because it’s important in relationships, especially those that felt like forever, to show that you were the better person. Ha.
*