He laughed softly. “Who are you calling bullheaded?”
“You’re like mine and the girls’ curls. I can brush them, use special rinses and conditioners, and try a hundred ways to tame them. They might behave for ten minutes, but they’re going to do exactly what they were made to do and turn into unruly masses of springy curls, and there’s not a darn thing I can do about it.”
He threaded his fingers through her hair and held on tight. “You have no idea how much I adore your hair.”
“Yes, I do,” she whispered. “You like it as much as I love when you grab it like that. And as much as I like doing this.” She pushed her hands into the back of his shorts, grabbing his bare ass.
Heat seared through him, and a hungry growl escaped. He rocked against her center. “I just figured out how to deal with your worries.” He kissed her lips. “I need to make sure that every day is better than your last.” He trailed kisses down her neck, whispering as he lifted her shirt over her breasts. “That you’re pleasured so thoroughly, there’s no room for worries.”
As he lowered his mouth over her breast, she said, “And my hands on your butt gave you that answer?”
“Your touch always gives me the best ideas. You should touch me every time you need answers.” He glanced at the tent. “What about the girls?”
“They’re down for the count. We’ll hear them if they wake up.”
He kissed the warm crevice between her breasts. “Then try not to make too much noise while I research my theory.”
He loved his way down her body and took off her shorts, lifting her hips as he lowered his mouth to her sex, feasting mercilessly. She ground against his mouth, fisting her hands in his hair so tight, pleasure and pain seared straight to his cock. He used teeth and tongue to take her to the edge of release, holding her there, unwilling to relent until he’d taken his fill. She was so fucking sexy, he was going to lose his mind with her writhing against him, greedy noises sneaking out as he homed in on all her neediest spots.
“I can’t take it,” she whispered urgently.
Her pleas tugged at all his best parts, and he gave her what she needed. Her hips shot up as she shattered against his mouth. She tasted sweet and hot and so damn good, he made her come again—hard. He pushed off his shorts, taking them with him as he climbed up her body, dragging his tongue along her heated flesh. He rubbed his cock against her wetness, taking her in a long, slow kiss, sparking another surge of desire.
He rose up and lowered his nipple to her mouth. “Use your teeth.”
Holy hell, she reached between them, stroking his cock as she used her teeth and tongue on his nipple, driving him insane. He thrust his hips, fucking her fist as she tugged on his piercing, sending fire blazing through him. He reclaimed her mouth, kissing her deeply and possessively, wanting to brand her from the inside out.
“I want to watch you fuck me.” He rolled them over so he was on his back and she was straddling him.
Her eyes flamed as he fished a condom out of the pocket of his shorts. As he tore it open, she slid her wetness along his rigid length. He groaned at the feel of her. Even with her luscious body covered by his shirt, she was sexy as sin. She ground her wetness against him, and he gritted out a curse. She bit her lower lip, trapping a grin.
“Jesus, baby. Everything you do makes me want you even more.”
He grabbed the base of his cock to roll the condom on, but she took the latex from him. Watching her sheathe his length was another turn-on. He grabbed her hips as she rose up and sank down, her body swallowing every inch of him, drawing another hungry growl that he fought hard to stifle. She ran her fingers down the center of his abs, her eyes darkening as her smile widened. She toyed with him, riding him slow and gyrating when he was buried to the hilt. She played with his nipples, sending beats of pleasure pulsing up his limbs, pounding in his core, and burning through his chest, until he felt like his entire body was going to explode. He clutched her hips tighter, moving her up and down along his length, faster, harder, and then held her tight against him as he ground up into her. He clenched his teeth against the erotic pleasures consuming him. Her eyes closed, and her head fell back as he did it again, and again, in a mind-numbing rhythm. He pushed a hand into her hair, pulling her down over him as he pushed up her shirt and sealed his mouth over her breast. She moaned loudly.
“Shh, baby.”
He grabbed her ass with both hands, sucking her breast as he thrust into her. He slid his fingers to her entrance, feeling his cock moving in and out of her tight heat, earning more moans. He wanted to turn her over onto all fours and take her from behind, but it wasn’t the time or place to get that wild. He tucked that urge away, sucking harder, thrusting faster, until she lost all control. He released her breast, and she arched back, riding him fast, hard, and so fucking perfectly, he nearly came. But he fought the urge, letting her ride out her climax. As she came down from the peak, he wrapped his arms around her and rolled them over. She gazed up at him, looking as drunk on him as he was on her.
“Baby,” he whispered against her lips, lacing their fingers together. “I could make love to you twenty-four hours a day and it wouldn’t be enough.”
He lowered his mouth to hers, loving her slower and more tenderly than he ever imagined possible, reveling in all that they were and all that he hoped they’d become. Their bodies moved in exquisite harmony, bringing a world of new sensations crashing down over him as they found their mutual release and sailed into ecstasy.
Chapter Seventeen
WEDNESDAY MORNING LEAH was a nervous wreck about meeting the sitter. Tank had tried to calm her nerves last night and again this morning, but she was wired. He’d left earlier than usual to run an errand before heading into the tattoo shop for an early appointment, because he had church tonight. He’d offered to cancel his clients so he could go with her to meet Corinne, but he’d already done so much for them, and it wasn’t like she couldn’t handle interviewing a babysitter. She’d written down all of her questions so she wouldn’t forget them, and she already knew that Corinne had taught first grade in Colorado and had opened her in-home daycare to make the transition easier for her then-three-year-old daughter when she’d moved back home to the Cape. She’d enjoyed it so much, she’d never gone back to teaching and had assured Leah that after four years of running her daycare, she had no intention of stopping. Leah knew the girls would be safe with her, but that didn’t change the fact that she was taking another step toward moving on. A step that put River further behind them.
She hadn’t sensed him around since their hike last weekend. She felt like she was holding her breath, waiting to feel him again, and she knew that wasn’t healthy. She’d tried to go through his things to get a sense of closure, but she just couldn’t do it. She’d gone through this after losing her father, and she knew she needed to make it happen or she’d always have one foot in the past.
Just like I need to make this visit with Corinne happen.
But that didn’t soothe the worry that she might be making a decision that could have a negative impact on the girls. Starr was coming over to stay with them while Leah went to meet Corinne, and they were excited to see Starr and Gracie. But how would they adjust to being in daycare every time Leah went to work? Would it set them back in their healing over losing River? Make them miss him even more? Would they be angry with Leah for leaving them all day? Could she handle leaving them with someone other than River?