by Lisa Hughey
To balance out the scales. To help people find love and stay in love.
He wasn’t being critical. He was just asking, but she felt defensive anyway. “I want people to find their fairy tale.”
“Life isn’t a fairy tale,” he said almost immediately. “Love is messy and complicated.”
“True. But there is such a thing as true love.”
He smirked. “Now you sound like that ad for the dating app. Fairy Tale something.”
That shut her up. She couldn’t not be passionate about her company. And what did it matter if he dismissed true love? But she wanted to distract him.
“Have you ever used any dating app?” she challenged him.
“No time.”
“That’s exactly what they are for.” She rinsed another pan with hot water. “So people can find partners that they are compatible with.”
“Compatible?” He snickered. “Relationships need more than compatibility. They need heat and spice and smoking hot sex.”
“Sex isn’t everything,” she pushed back.
He pushed her up against the counter, crowding her as the heat rose off the sink full of water.
His eyes were heavy-lidded as he trailed his scarred fingers over her collarbones. “You don’t think heat is important?” His voice was husky as he pressed kisses along the side of her neck.
“Sure…it is,” she said breathlessly, her body responding to the sensual subtext in his words.
“Sex is like cooking. The right ingredients and the right amount of heat and blending the two transforms them into something new and wonderful and unique.”
Her body lit up like the fireflies buzzing around the orchard. She wrapped her fingers in the belt loops of his cargo shorts and held on.
He held her captive against the counter.
“Then I guess I’m in trouble,” she joked. “Since I suck at cooking.”
He laughed. “You just need to practice.”
The sounds of the crickets drifted in from the open window. The soft light of the setting sun coming through the curtains bathed the single room in a hazy, ethereal light, making the moment feel surreal.
Her heart sped up as he continued to drop slow kisses over her body.
Colt
Colt couldn’t remember the last time he’d had so much fun.
His nose was a bit sunburned from the bright summer day, his kitchen smelled like heaven, and his arms were full of the most intriguing woman he’d had the pleasure to spend time with in…ever.
She was laughing, her blue eyes bright with amusement.
He wanted to submerse in that dazzling sunshine feeling and let it brighten the dark corners of his soul.
She was the catalyst who had brought him back to life.
His mood shifted, and he needed to consume her with an urgency that took him by surprise. “I need you.” His voice was gravelly, his hands cupped her face, and he stared into her suddenly somber gaze.
She nodded. “Me too.”
“Now,” he demanded, overcome with an unexpected urgency.
“Okay,” she said breathlessly.
He lifted her in his arms and carried her the few steps to the wrought-iron day bed. He shoved aside the worn patchwork wedding ring quilt and lay her on the soft blue sheets.
He followed her down and slipped the straps of her top off her shoulders. Her face was flushed from today’s sun.
“You are so beautiful, querida.”
She shrugged and looked away. “Genetics.”
“You have a grande coração.”
“What does that mean?”
“You have a big heart.” He turned her face so he could look at her. “Inside. Where it counts. Your soul is pure.”
At that she flushed. “I’m just me.”
“Graças a deus.” He kissed her, tasting the spice from dinner and the sweet of her flavors.
She arched up into his touch, scraping her nails along his back and then grabbing his ass. His erection prodded her.
“You taste of sunshine and strawberries.” He kissed her again. “Hmm, the most erotic of flavors. You are all woman.”
His lazy exploration erupted. Suddenly he was ravenous, starving for her.
She rubbed against his erection. His heart was pumping with a desperate need to be inside her. But everything about their previous sexual joinings had been frantic as if they didn’t grab onto each other right away, the moment would disappear.
He slowed, kissing his way down her body. Tasting her skin, discovering the dips and valleys.
He brushed a wisp of hair from her cheek. Curling his fingers around her ear and cupping her head to press a soft kiss to her mouth.
Her cheeks were flushed. Her lips red and swollen from their kisses. Shadows lengthened, creating an intimate mood in the little cabin.
A swell of affection rolled through him. “What a perfect day.” The trip to the market, the sunshine, and the sumptuous dinner, and now he had a warm, willing woman in his bed.
“I can think of a few ways it could be even more perfect,” she snarked.
He chuckled against the swell of her breast. He cupped her in his hand and savored her. “I’m open to suggestions.”
“Let’s play…farmer’s market.”
He pushed up from his lazy exploration of her body. Studied the smirk on her face. “Okay. You’ll have to teach me the rules.”
She pushed against his shoulders, and he complied with her unspoken request to roll onto his back.
She stripped off her clothes so she was naked above him.
His shorts were still wrapped around his knees, holding him captive. But to get them off he’d have to move her and he wanted to see what she was going to do next.
“First, you meander down the rows.” She kissed her way down his neck, trailed her tongue across his collarbones, skimmed her hands over his biceps with a light touch.
“Sample the merchandise.” She sucked on one of his nipples then moved to the other.
He hummed as she used her tongue.
“Ask pertinent questions.”
“Ah, like what?”
She continued down his body, spending a moment to swirl her tongue in his belly button. “Do you like this?” She kissed the hollow between his hipbones.
He groaned. “Yes.”
“Or this?” She sucked the head of his cock into her mouth, her tongue doing things that might be illegal. She released him with a pop. “I need data so I can make an informed decision.”
“I like whatever you want to do.” She’d get no pressure from him.
“I’m asking for comparison.” She curled her hand around him and pumped. He got even harder, the rush of blood almost painful.
“Okay, yes, go down on me,” he ground out.
“With pleasure.” And she swallowed him whole, working him hard with her mouth and hands.
She straddled his legs, her head bent, her blond hair mussed and swinging in her face. Her lips were slick as she took him inside.
The picture was a goddamn treasure. She was a treasure.
“Are you wet for me?” he ground out, trying to hold back his orgasm.
She moaned and nodded as she bobbed. Her eyes drifted closed with a blissful look on her face as if she were enjoying a decadent dessert. And he knew he needed to be inside her.
He jackknifed up and lifted her over his body. “I want inside you.”
Her hands clutched his shoulders, and her breasts, pink and flushed, hung in his face. “Can’t wait.”
He blindly reached for the drawer in the small end table and prayed for condoms. They’d used up the packages from the motel laundry room. He clutched a package in his fist in triumph. “Yes!”
“Crow later. Get that on.” Her words were breathless as she shoved his shorts to his ankles and pushed them off with her toes.
“Impressive moves.”
“God, get inside me,” she demanded.
The imperious tone turned him on even more
.
“Happy to oblige.” He rolled the condom on and slid inside in one smooth easy glide.
The urgent need to penetrate and dominate eased. He still wanted to mark her as his, the feeling primitive and raw. But once he got insider her, he felt as if he had come home and everything was right with his world.
Which sounded way too fanciful and weird.
Then she murmured, “Like coming home.”
She felt it too. This inexplicable connection that had him sharing and doing things that he couldn’t even have imagined a few weeks ago.
Colt began to move, his cock swelling as she surrounded him with her scent and her essence.
They went together like Beaujolais and Coq au Vin, a classic culinary pairing that had been around for centuries.
She rocked on top of him, increasing the pace, her body slick with arousal she took him in. The leisurely pace obliterated by the tide of desire threatening to swamp him.
They banged together frantically, no finesse or tender moves now. As if they couldn’t get enough.
She squeezed her channel around him and the move sent him over the edge. He pumped into her in hot, urgent strokes, his orgasm a tsunami, making him dizzy.
His orgasm triggered hers and she threw her head back. Her nails dug into his shoulders as she rocked into him.
She dropped on top of him as if she’d wrung out every drop of energy and couldn’t even hold up her head. Their hearts thundered in unison. Sweat slicked their skin. He kissed the side of her head and wrapped his arms around her, wondering how he could be so full of joy and so very spent at the same time.
14
Tracy
Tracy woke slowly the next morning in a strange place.
The soft pink light of early morning filtered through the lace curtains facing the orchard. She rolled and burrowed her head under the pillow.
Cobwebs and lack of sleep made her fuzzy because they’d had sex all night long. She smiled sleepily as the night played out in 4K resolution in her memory. She’d shared things with him that she’d never dared with anyone else.
But he’d shared things too. His fears about fame and his absolute reluctance to ever go back to any situation where he was in the public spotlight.
She understood his vehemence.
She understood everything about his intent to stay far away from the press and public scrutiny. And she realized that she couldn’t bear to do anything that would hurt him.
She knew she needed to pull away…except she was staying in his cabin.
She was tired of hiding. She wanted to defend her choices. She didn’t want to leave Colebury, but she didn’t want to keep hiding either.
This whole thing was ridiculous.
But the break from reality had shown her that she was done with working for her father. She wasn’t going to give away or shut down her business.
She wanted to focus on Fairy Tale Beginnings and the spin-off businesses.
Working in Colebury had given her ideas for how to move the company forward, how to make the app more accessible, and other services that they could be offering.
Even though there had been some backlash, clients from Fairy Tale Beginnings had fought back and posted online testimonials about how happy they were with their matches. Her marketing department had created an ingenious campaign using positive images and hashtags to combat the negative press.
All the fervent praise had convinced her that she was doing the right thing with her life.
“Good morning.” His voice was soft, sleepy. “What’s going through that brain of yours?”
His arm was wrapped around her waist, her hair was a tangled mess obscuring her vision, and she wanted to just savor this moment.
Last night had been magical.
Not for the sex, but for the intimacy.
But with everything he shared, she knew that she should pull away. She lay her arm over his and squeezed. “Last night was…really nice.”
“Why does that sound like you’re getting ready to say goodbye?”
Because she was. Her heart hurt.
Before she could voice what she was thinking, he said, “I reject that decision.”
“It’s for the best.”
“Whose best?” He rolled her over so that she lay on top of him. “Not mine.”
She pulled away but Colt pursued her. “I’m trying to save you from yourself.”
But she had to be honest and admit that she loved his refusal to let her pull away. Even though she really was trying to save him.
She needed to go back to Boston soon. But maybe after her scandal was over, he would want to continue to see her. She loved that he had continued to pursue her, even against her own reservations and her attempts to save him. Maybe he would want a relationship with her when this was all over and she returned home.
Boston wasn’t that far from Vermont.
Maybe they could make it work. Hope blossomed in her heart.
“Have you had a good time the past few days?” he asked.
She refused to lie. “Better than good.”
“Me too,” Colt admitted. “I like you. Your sunshine and your spirit make me feel whole again.”
No one had ever said anything like that to her before. No one had ever really wanted her. She swallowed, overcome with emotion.
She wasn’t sure it was her that had caused his shift. “You were working your way towards it.” She just happened to be around when he’d begun to feel alive again. He’d shown her how to enjoy life. “You’ve shown me how to relax. So I think we’re even.”
Not that she was keeping score. But she should go. The problem was she didn’t want to leave.
“What if I ply you with delicious food?”
Oh, she wanted to be plied by him. The offer was super tempting. And she was thrilled that he wanted to make her food. “It’s wonderful that you’re cooking again.”
“You inspired me to get over that hump. You’re my muse.”
She loved the sound of that. She wanted to be his muse. She wanted to burrow in this bed and not come out for the next month. But that was unrealistic. On several levels.
A seed of optimism took root in her soul. What if she could find a way to have Colt and everything else? Would he stay with her?
The amount of longing she felt for that possibility was immense.
She rolled over. “You really want me around?”
A lot of the people she hung around with enjoyed her connections. Having a political family meant that her family had influence. Her friends enjoyed her company, she worked hard at being likable, but they enjoyed the perks of her friendship more.
Her pals from the BBC were the exceptions, but they didn’t hang out all the time.
And she was always on guard. She could never truly be herself, could never be completely honest. Maybe no one else felt the lack, but she knew it was there. Always holding back. Always watching her words.
She was the perky one. The happy one.
But with Colt she had the confidence to know that he wasn’t using her for what she could do for him. He had no idea that her family was influential.
He liked her for her.
And he didn’t care when Cee-Cee was snarky. She made him laugh.
However, “A muse sounds sort of intimidating.”
Lots of expectations. Lots of things he would need her for that were all about him. People didn’t put Tracy first. She came down the list.
It wasn’t that she didn’t have friends. And it wasn’t that they didn’t like her. She was eminently likeable. But people didn’t put her first. Ever.
Colt snorted. “Only you would say that.” He ran his hands over her arms and her waist, moving until he cupped her butt. His erection nudged her sex.
She was pretty sure they needed more condoms.
“Fine. I like having you around.” He cupped her breasts in his large, scarred palms.
“I like being around,” she confessed.
“So
why not enjoy this while it lasts?”
God. She wanted it to last forever. But that was unlikely. “I may need some convincing.”
He was silent, his head tilted to the side as if he were thinking deeply.
“What are you musing about right now?”
“A tasting menu.”
Should she be disappointed that he was thinking about food? He’d started cooking again, supposedly thanks to her. So maybe she should just enjoy that fact instead of being disappointed that she was naked and he was thinking about food.
“It’s just for me.”
“That doesn’t sound very hospitable.”
He lifted her breasts and licked each nipple. “The first course is Cee-Cee raspberries. An incredible delicacy that I just discovered.” Then he pressed her breasts together and sucked.
Realization dawned. He was talking about tasting her.
He rolled her again so she was beneath him and he kissed his way down the center of her stomach, lingering on the dip in her belly button. “This is a specialty just for me.” He trailed his tongue over her skin. “A sensual treat.”
She loved this playful side of him. She would never have imagined that the gruff, grumpy guy in at the table behind her on that first day could be this light and carefree.
He dipped his fingers into her, her wetness coating his digits. “A rare delicacy.”
“That’s just for you,” she said huskily.
“Yep. All mine.”
She wanted to be all his and so she let him feast.
Colt
Colt’s heart thundered as his body recovered from another intense orgasm.
The sense of panic that had come over him when she’d talked about leaving had been extreme. In that moment he’d been willing to do anything to keep her here. He’d managed to distract her to stop her from leaving.
And what a distraction.
They were entwined together, lying on their sides. The warm morning breeze blew in air laden with lilacs and honeysuckle; the birds and the insects chirped and buzzed bringing their song through the open window. The cabin was still mostly dark surrounding them in an intimate cocoon. The atmosphere hushed except for the sounds of their breath.
