Each thrust forced air from her lungs until she was panting. Her fingers clutched his arms, and as he lifted his head, he found her gaze pinned on him, her lips curved upward. Her face and chest were flushed, and he felt her sex clutch tighter. A gasp left her mouth just before her top teeth bit into her bottom lip and her entire body tightened and quivered as she cried out his name. He’d never heard anything so sweet.
Her eyes fluttered, and he continued to thrust, feeling the muscles in his back tighten, as well. With teeth clenched together, he threw his head back as every muscle in his body hardened and his release poured from his body. Barely able to catch his breath, he fell forward, holding his weight off her chest while propped on his elbows, his forehead resting against her neck. After dragging oxygen into his lungs, he managed to roll to the side, his arms wrapped around her, his cock still buried.
They lay, quiet except for gasping breaths, heartbeats pounding until slowing, beating in unison. As consciousness slid over him, he was aware of every sensation. Her small hands gliding over his back. Her breasts crushed against his chest. His cock slowly sliding from her body. Her soft perfume mixed with their arousal, creating a unique scent that had instantly and forever become his favorite.
He lifted his head to see her eyes once again holding his gaze. Eyes that captured him many years ago and had now recaptured him. Leo was right. When I stopped avoiding her, I discovered I needed her. “This was no fuck.” As soon as the words blurted from his mouth, he winced at the crudeness. “Shit, Jeannie, that’s not how I wanted that to come out.” Horrified he’d ruined their time, he blinked as she burst into peals of laughter and then snorted.
Unable to stop, he began to laugh, as well. Their bodies shaking with mirth together, he finally managed to say, “As indelicate as my comment was, the sentiment was true. I just really needed you to know that.”
“So, this wasn’t a slam-bam-thank-you-ma’am, one-and-done, don’t-let-the-door-hit-you-on-the-way-out?”
Barking out another laugh, he shook his head. “My words were a little more concise, but yours hit the nail on the head, too.”
Sobering, he kissed her lightly. “This feels like the start. The start of something big. The start of you and me.” She smiled, but before she could speak, he amended, “To be honest, I thought about you over the years. Always wished I’d said something profound about your kindness, and figured I’d never get the chance. So, maybe, instead of this being the absolute start, it’s the beginning of my second chance.”
Her lips continued to curve upward, and a light shone from her eyes, pulling him in. He kissed her lightly, then groaned. “I’ve got to take care of the condom.”
He slid off the bed and took care of business. On his way back toward her, she called out his name, and he looked to see her lying in bed on her side, her head propped on her hand, her beautiful body on display.
“Can you stay, or do you have to go back tonight?”
Now it was his turn to smile as he crawled back into bed with her. “I’ve got nowhere else I’d rather be.”
18
Jeannie thought her face would crack from her wide smile, positive she was glowing as she drove to Maggie’s the next day. If there was such a thing as post-coital glow, she knew she was beaming for the whole world to see.
Sex with Carson had been everything she’d hoped it would be. Everything I dreamed it would be. It had been so long since a man stirred her interest and fired her imagination, so long since someone cared about taking care of her needs first. It seemed the last few times she’d had sex, the men had assumed a butt slap, nipple tweak, or fast finger job counted for foreplay. And with no emotions involved, it was more of a comedy… or perhaps a tragedy.
But just when she’d declared she was over fast-fingered men, Carson crashed into her life. The perfect combination of alpha-demanding hotness paired with sugar-sweet concern had made her want to toss all romance novels out the window because no fictional character could ever give her that many orgasms and then hold her all night.
And for him to end up being the leader of a security firm right at a time when she needed that, combined with someone she’d met years ago that admitted he remembered her… it was as though the fates had stepped in, declaring it her time. Time for love? She wasn’t sure about that answer but knew that what she felt for him was more than what she’d felt for anyone other than her family.
Both waking early, they’d tangled in the sheets again before breakfast. Kissing him longingly at the front door, she’d felt like a teenager counting down hours until she could see him again. As he’d finally pulled away and left, he’d reminded her to be careful checking Maggie’s house and to not talk of anything that someone could overhear while there. Rolling her eyes, she’d promised then waved as he climbed into his SUV, her gaze following him until he disappeared from sight.
Now, she sang along with songs on the radio, anxious to try out everything she’d learned the previous evening. Once at Maggie’s, she greeted her warmly. Glad to be there before Penny arrived, she and Maggie shared a cup of tea. “Do you have your laptop? I wanted to show you a website with some fabulous recipes.”
Maggie held her gaze, her brow knit with confusion for a few seconds before she smiled. “Of course. It’s in the living room.”
Jeannie walked into the living room, her gaze sweeping about the room, pretending to look for the laptop but, truthfully, wondering if she’d see anything that looked like audio or video equipment. Not discovering anything immediately, she leaned over and snagged the laptop off the coffee table, walking back into the kitchen. Sitting next to Maggie, she opened it and began typing, pulling up a website devoted to cookies. Whispering, “Just talk about the cookies,” she smiled as Maggie began to exclaim over the pictures of delicious treats.
“Here, I’ll save some of the recipes for you,” Jeannie said, popping in the thumb drive that Carson had given her. She continued to click through recipes, knowing that his drive was ignoring what she was doing while sending all the information needed to Carson’s workplace. She and Maggie continued to look at recipes, and she pulled out the thumb drive after the amount of time he said it needed to work.
“I’ll take it and print them out and bring them the next time,” she said, dropping it into her purse. They continued to talk, and once again, she whispered, “Go along with whatever I say.” Gaining a smile from Maggie, she said, “Since your housekeeper isn’t here, I’ll do a little work for you.”
Once again, Maggie’s brow dipped in confusion for only a few seconds before she nodded. “That would be lovely, my dear.”
Finding a dust cloth in the pantry, she moved to the living room first and methodically wiped off all the surfaces, paying special attention to the mantle, end tables, and bookshelf. Disappointed as she discovered nothing, she was just finishing with the bookshelf when a small figurine that didn’t seem to match the others caught her eye. She carefully wiped down each figurine, turning them over to glance at the artist’s name. Sure enough, the one that didn’t seem to match was a knockoff. Wiping it carefully as well, she noticed it was hollow and a small plastic device was inserted inside. Placing it back onto the shelf, she set it facing toward the wall.