Claiming His Labor Day: A Romance Holiday Novella

by Lulu Pratt

  “Ingenious. How do you win?”

  “When the guy isn’t looking, you take something sharp and let out some of the air in the ball. It decreases the bounciness and allows it to fit through the hoop. By the time they realize what you did, you’re walking away with a prize.”

  “And they can’t exactly call you on it because it’s already set for failure.”

  “Bingo,” she said.

  “Smart.”

  “Yeah, until everyone starts to catch on. The games aren’t as popular as they were when I was little.”

  I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She was increasingly more beautiful every moment I spent with her.

  I offered Naomi my hand and looked at her. “Trust me?”

  She furrowed her eyebrows and just stared at me, glancing at my out-stretched hand. I lowered my head and smiled, nodding that it was okay. She slowly slid her fingers across my palm and fit her small hand into mine. The touch of her soft skin radiated through me, but I pushed it down and let her firm her grip.

  I led her to the rides set up on the opposite side of the parking lot and slipped into line for the Ferris wheel.

  When we got to the front of the line, I turned to her and put my finger to my lips. Leaning to the operator, I whispered my request and slipped him a twenty. The operator nodded and helped Naomi into the next available car. I sat next to her, and within moments, we were jerkily hoisted into the air. I watched her and she seemed to enjoy my idea. We went around a few times until the first blast of color lit up the sky. She gasped, and the sound of it gripped me. I wondered for a moment what she sounded like when she was in bed. The Ferris wheel slowed and stopped as we reached the top. She looked over the edge, then at me.

  “Did you do this?” she asked.

  “Guilty.”

  The night sky was lit up with color that popped and sparkled all around us. Her little gasps and wide eyes were so innocent, yet so sexy that I wanted to wrap myself around her and keep her with me forever.

  “This is incredible.”

  “How many years have you been coming to this?”

  “All my life, since I can remember,” Naomi said. “But in all those years, I’ve never seen it like this. What about you? You said you’ve only lived here a few years. Where did you live before?”

  “I’ve been quite a few places. I don’t stay in one place too long.”

  “Ah, a drifter.”

  She looked up, waiting for the next big display of light.

  “I never had a reason to stay in one place for too long,” I elaborated.

  “Maybe one day, you will,” I caught her glance at me and hoped for a hidden meaning behind her little statement.

  “Maybe. I’m sort of digging this place. The view is incredible.”

  She turned to me, and her lips parted as I stared at her. The sky was lit up with the most spectacular display of fireworks and dripping sparkles, but she continued to stare directly at me.

  Did I dare? Did I allow myself to feel again? It was much more than the one-night stands I learned to live with. This woman was the real deal. I couldn’t love and leave her. I could only leave, and that moment was slipping away.

  I studied her mouth. Was it too soon? She moved closer. Our lips met, and my eyes closed. I savored her, pressing into her. I forced my hands to stay where they were, keeping minimal movement, relishing the feel of her mouth on mine.

  She moved closer, her breasts pressing against my arm. Her tongue slid between her lips and cascaded along mine.

  “Touch me,” she whispered.

  And just like that, my inhibitions were gone. My worries about getting in too deep, my apprehensions for feeling more than lust for a woman, the guard over my heart, all gone.

  I pulled her into me, our kiss deepening. It caught me on fire, and I inhaled her scent deep. I was already hard. She intoxicated me.

  I fed my hands into her hair and steadied her head as I consumed her. The night couldn’t have gone any better than this.

  CHAPTER 3

  Naomi

  I WAS DOING the one thing I’d been shielding myself against for years. Getting involved with a man — and one far too far out of my element. I did all I could do to resist him, but the more wine I had drunk under the hot sun, the harder I had to fight my long-held decision. From the moment I met Devlin, I knew he was bad news. I also knew I’d be in trouble if I even gave a little. And I was right. I gave a little, and he got into my thoughts. He’d dragged me to the other side. He consumed me, and with one look from those eyes, he overcame my barriers. He was impossible to resist.

  His hands were all over my body, and I needed more. His lips covered mine, and I surrendered. Maybe Mia and Camilla were right. Maybe I needed a little bad in my life. What would it hurt? Why was I even asking myself at this point? He had already got to me. Any fight against wanting him was futile. I was his.

  His hands slid up into my hair, and a passion burned inside me when Devlin grabbed a handful, pulling my head back and exposing my flesh to him. I winced a little as adrenaline pumped through me. His mouth caressed the most sensitive parts of my neck, his teeth grazing against my skin. I pulled his hand to my breast, opening my eyes to see his reaction. I needed him to know I wanted this as much as he did. I wanted him to know he wasn’t coaxing it from me. A gasp escaped my lips and I could feel myself responding to his touch.

  His face was beautiful while spectacular explosions lit up the air around us. It was as if the universe was celebrating us in that moment.

  My emotions welled up inside me, mixing with each other. Lust, love, hate, fear — they all intertwined and let loose as if they had been held back for so long. I lusted for him after just one touch. The need to love him overwhelmed me, but I hated myself for wanting someone like Devlin as bad as I did. And the fear of being hurt or allowing it to happen still echoed in my mind. Would I be just another notch on his bedpost, or was the look I found in his eyes real?

  The Ferris wheel jerked forward, but neither of us cared. I had forgotten where we were until it began to move. As it lowered our car to the ground, I saw the sky light up with blues and yellows.

  The operator unlocked the bar across the front and helped me out.

  “Twenty wasn’t enough for you?” Devlin sounded annoyed.

  “Not when you turn my ride into a motel room,” the operator replied.

  “It wasn’t like that at all. It was a pretty special moment if you want to know the truth,” he grumbled.

  “Special or not, I’m responsible for my riders’ safety. You can’t go jumping around in the car and expect me to be happy with that.”

  “I got it. Thanks for the ride.”

  I looked back and saw him pat the guy on the back. Devlin took my hand and led me away from the Ferris wheel.

  “Where to now?” he asked, looking up at the color-filled night sky.

  Something inside me felt devious, reckless, and I liked it. “Come on,” I whispered.

  I took the lead and walked around the rides, through the crowd away from everything, and into the grassy field that became a parking lot for the festival.

  “My jeep is just over here,” I pointed out.

  “Are we leaving?”

  I giggled. “No. Just looking for somewhere a little less crowded.”

  “What about the fireworks?”

  I stopped and turned to him, reducing the space between us. “I am more interested in the fireworks down here than the display of lights above us,” I said softly. I felt my heart pounding against the inside of my chest as I looked up at him.

  “What is it about you, Naomi?” Devlin’s voice softened as he studied my face, looking deep into my eyes. “You’ve enraptured me.”

  Butterflies wreaked havoc in my stomach. “Enraptured? Let’s see where the night takes us.”

  I waited until he bent down and covered my lips with his. This time, his kiss was tender and sweet.

  I took his hand and led him through the rows of
cars and trucks until we reached my white jeep. I opened the back and scowled when the blanket I thought was there wasn’t. “So much for laying out under the stars,” I said, turning to him. He was right behind me, a little closer than I had expected. His hands cupped my face, and he kissed me. This kiss wasn’t so tender and sweet. It was needy and wanting and perfect.

  I grabbed his T-shirt and pulled him into me. His body was hard — his abs, his arms, his cock. Devlin’s hands snuck underneath my top and caressed my waist. I put my hands in the air as he tore my top up and over my head, discarding it to the side. I crawled into my jeep and waited for him to join me, but he didn’t. He just stood there, staring at me with a hunger in his eyes. It frightened me but at the same time excited the hell out of me. I was being completely careless but pushed that thought aside when he unbuckled his belt. Watching his hands while they unfastened the button on his blue jeans and slid the zipper down, I could feel myself getting wetter with excitement. I swallowed hard when he pulled his T-shirt off, his chest and abs exposed. He was gorgeous, fit, covered with tattoos, and muscles. I wanted to run my tongue along the creases between those muscles, tasting his skin and savoring his body.

  He crawled into my jeep and sat next to me, his eyes taking in my body. Insecurity began to fill me until he cupped my face and kissed me with the same heat it took to erase any doubt I’d had earlier about being with him.

  “You’re so fucking beautiful,” Devlin whispered as he slid his hands up over my shoulders. His fingers hooked under the straps of my bra and slid them down my arms. A shiver of excitement charged through me. I reached out and touched his chest. My hands moved over him, and my hunger grew. I straddled him, pushing my chest into his after he quickly removed my bra. The feel of him against me was overwhelming, and I kissed him hard. I thrust my tongue into his mouth and danced it against his. I groped him, wanting him closer, grinding against his groin.

  “Naomi,” he whispered, pushing me back a bit. “Are you sure this is what you want?”

  I was breathing hard, wanting him all over and inside me. “Devlin, if you’d asked me this before we went up on that Ferris wheel I would have said no. But I would have been lying to myself,” I was kissing him between my words. “Truth is, from the moment I saw you, my body responded. I didn’t want to admit—”

  “Because I was bad news?”

  I stopped and looked at him. “Yeah.”

  “And you’re used to a suit-and-tie kind of guy.”

  “Kind of,” I said. “I’ve been off the dating scene for a while.”

  He pulled me closer, his nose almost touching mine. I felt the warmth of his breath on my cheek, and I could barely breathe. I nodded.

  “Well, I guess I shouldn’t disappoint then,” he growled.

  “What?”

  “If the stereotype is that I’m a bad boy, I’ll play the part.”

  He grabbed my arms and rolled me over until he was looming above me. His hands worked fast to unbutton my shorts and yank them down my legs. Even if I wanted to stop, my body wasn’t letting me. I stared at him as he undressed me, his eyes constantly moving up and down my nakedness. Surprisingly, I felt sexy, empowering, and very horny. He sat next to me and licked his lips before leaning down and kissing my neck. His hands were on my breasts, squeezing them together and sliding his thumbs over my nipples. The rough sensation jolted through me while his lips left a path of electricity along my flesh. He moved his head down, his mouth trailing kisses over my collarbone and down to my breasts. He sucked my nipple into his mouth and his tongue circled around it, throwing my arousal into overdrive. I pushed my head back and fed my hands into his hair. His hand ran down my stomach and slid between my legs, cupping my pussy. He pushed his palm into my most sensitive parts and moved it back and forth, grinding against my clit. I opened my legs, inviting his advances and silently begging for more. His finger slid inside me and fucked me slowly as his mouth did magical things to my nipples. My arousal built into an orgasm that threatened to slam into me as he played my body like an instrument. My breathing turned to panting, and I was grabbing at anything I could get my hands on.

  He stopped just before my orgasm took over and looked down at me, a smile wide on his lips. Before I could beg, he pulled his jeans and boxers off his legs and sat down next to me. He scooped me up, pulling me over him, directing my legs on either side of him. His hands were in my hair, and his mouth was on mine. He feasted upon my lips, devouring my mouth with his and pushing his groin up into mine. I could barely breathe when he lifted my ass off him. I held my breath, feeling the tip of him tease my center.

  He wrapped his arms around my waist and looked up at me. “Your move.”

  I held my breath and steadied my trembling lip between my teeth. I smiled and pushed down on him slowly, feeling each inch of him enter me. He was big, stretching me wide, a hint of pain mixing with the pleasure of it all. He was delicious looking up at me as I coaxed him inside me. I felt like I was in a dream. Was I really in the back of my jeep with a man I barely knew? Was I really naked with a tattooed bad boy I had no business getting involved with? Devlin was textbook bad boy and not my type whatsoever. But I couldn’t control myself when I was with him and I was enjoying every second of it.

  He pushed into me, rocking my hips back and forth and he sighed, his head falling back. I moved up and down on him, my arousal rebuilding, seeping through me, wrapping around me.

  When my delayed orgasm returned, it did so with a vengeance. It grabbed ahold of me and wouldn’t let go. Every muscle in my body tightened and pleasure flooded through me. He tightened his hold and grunted, his hands holding me close. The world around us fell away, and nothing else existed. Devlin pushed my hair from my face after my orgasm and tenderly kissed my nose. I responded with moving my mouth to his and moving back and forth on his lap. He held on and groaned with pleasure.

  For several moments, he kept his head tight to my chest. Something was troubling him, or I had gotten to him more than I had expected to, or he was savoring the moment. Whatever it was, he didn’t let me go.

  The best feeling I had was being next to him curled up in the back of my jeep with my hand resting on his chest. I listened to his steady breathing, and it put me at ease. I felt connected to him as his fingers cascaded up and down my arm.

  I traced a tattoo of an eagle across his pectorals. “Did this hurt?”

  He looked down at the bird with its wings spread for flight. “Not too bad.”

  “You have so many.”

  “Do they bother you?”

  “Not at all. They’re beautiful. Art,” I replied.

  “I’m not done yet.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “Still a lot of therapy to be done.” He stretched himself out, pushing his hands into the back of my seats.

  “What do you mean, therapy?”

  “You’ve never heard that expression? Time to get some ink therapy?”

  I shook my head, enthralled with his lifestyle. “Tell me.”

  He scooted himself up into a sitting position and pulled his jeans back on, leaving them unbuckled. I did the same, thinking if someone walked by they’d see more than we intended them to see, not that we were too worried moments before.

  “Usually people with a lot of tattoos have a lot of stories to tell, mostly dark ones. Secrets. Perhaps a skeleton or two in the closet,” Devlin said with a half-smile.

  “Including you?”

  “I have my share of stories, sure.”

  “I’m all ears if you are into storytelling.”

  “What do you want to know?”

  I rummaged around for a good request. “Have you ever been in love?” I watched his face and cringed when he looked away. “Sorry, something tells me that was not the story you wanted to tell.”

  “Hey, no. It’s fine. It’s been a while.”

  “So then why does it look like you are still hurting over it?”

  “It has been a while since i
t happened, but I’ve never talked about it.”

  “With anyone?” I asked.

  “No one. Not even Bones.”

  “You two are pretty close, huh?”

  “Yeah. We ride together.”

  “What’s that like?”

  “What’s what like?”

  “Not settling down in one place, drifting from town to town, not caring where the road takes you. Tell me why you drift around so much.”

  “The stories are related.”

  “Well, damn. I’m not doing so well, am I? How about I leave it up to you? Tell me something you want me to know.”

  He pressed his lips together, troubled by something. “Her name was Andressa. She was a waitress from Rio.”

  I pulled my shirt on and opened the back hatch for some fresh air. I crossed my legs and leaned against the side of the jeep concentrating on Devlin’s words.

  “Go on,” I said.

  “From the moment I saw her, there was something special about her. I fell instantly.”

  “Did she for you?”

  “Not at first. She thought, much like you, that I was bad news. I had to show her I was genuine.”

  “What did you do?”

  “I went back to that diner and ate there every day for two weeks before she’d agree to go out with me.”

  “Sounds romantic.”

  He shrugged. “I guess. We hung out for a while, dated for a few months. I was completely into her. She’d leave me little notes all over the place, hang her underwear on the back of my bike, and was up for anything spontaneous. We’d take off on a whim and just ride until we hit water. We’d ride over the bridge if one existed and would just keep going.”

  “It sounds incredible. Spontaneous for sure.”

  “Problem was, she was a little too spontaneous for me.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “We found a little bungalow on the beach in Copacabana and stayed there. Made love on the beach, ate fresh tropical fruit, and drank wine all day. That seventh day when I woke up, Andressa was gone.”

  “She left you there?”

  Devlin nodded, his mind there with her. “She left me a final note telling me she was sorry for leaving.”